The Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Mr Ralph Tuffuor has urged staff to bring their collective strength to bear in achieving the revenue target set for 2015.

Speaking at an award ceremony for staff, who distinguished themselves in the performance of their duties, Mr Tuffuor said the perception that 2015 is a more challenging year must not overshadow the strategic initiatives to improve tax collection.

“I exhort all staff to continue to devise revenue enhancing measures and strategies to overcome challenges we face on the job. We must all begin to think out of the box to ensure that our strategies work,” he said.

Mr Tuffuor said the positive results in 2014 showed that the various policies and programmes being implemented were yielding positive results.

“It gives me great pleasure to see staffs, who have contributed in various ways to the achievement of organizational targets being rewarded for a great work done,” he said.

Mr Tuffuor said the GRA Board had supported the management in formulating policies such as the deepening of the employee wellbeing programme that is aimed at promoting the health of staff at workplaces and the people in the communities.

The Employee Wellbeing programme targets the social, economic and emotional wellbeing of staff to enable them to work better for higher productivity.

He congratulated the management of the GRA for their leadership and support for all the plans that had been formulated and commended staff for their exceptional efforts at revenue mobilization and helping the organization to meet its target.

“I would like to single out for special mention GRA staff being awarded as best workers for 2014. It was quite a challenging year for GRA but you brought your exceptional skills and innovation to bear on the effort to mobilise revenue and were trailblazers in your offices and stations,” he said.

Mr George Blankson, Commissioner-General of GRA, appealed to the staff to help mobilise and collect taxes to meet the revenue target for 2015.

He congratulated the 31 award winners and asked them to work harder than before to enhance performance and productivity.

The awards were given in three categories. Winners in the Best Workers, Junior Staff Category, included Vicentia Avegeh, Nii Sowah and Pearl Sagoe. Some award winners in the Senior Staff category were Bernard Tackie, Michael Coffie and Daniel Kofi Ackah.

Winners in the Manager Category include Dr Godfred Oko Appiah, Thomas Donkor and Leslie Aryee.

The winners took home digital television sets and fridges.

The 2014 awards was on the theme: "Consolidating Integration, Promoting Growth and Enhanced Revenue Mobilisation for National Development.”