Wa, Sep t. 23, GNA – Mr. Elias K. Sokuu, the Upper West Regional Director of Domestic Tax Revenue Division, has appealed to Ghanaians not to see the payment of taxes as a burden but as a civic responsibility.

He said taxation was the life blood of any successful nation because it is the main source of income for government.

Mr. Sokuu was addressing businessmen and businesswomen, government workers and staff of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) at a forum organised in Wa on Thursday.

The function was to educate the public on their rights, duties and responsibilities as tax payers.

He appealed to the business community, especially those who either evade taxes or duplicate their invoices, to desist from the practice because the GRA would deal ruthlessly with them when caught.

Mr Sokuu appealed to revenue mobilization agencies that had been integrated into the GRA to avoid rivalry but to work as team with a common aim of mobilizing more revenue from the informal and others sectors.

Mr. Sokuu called for the closing up of leakages in the tax network and the adoption of innovations to help maximize revenue for national development.

Mr. Caesar Kale, the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, said many countries had been able to develop through payment of tax by their citizens but expressed regret that in the case of Ghana leakages in the tax system had denied it of development.

He appealed to personnel of the GRA to strengthen accountability so as to build confidence and trust in the people to pay taxes regularly and promptly.