Renowned musician and politician, Rex Omar, has pledged that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will address the tax challenges faced by the entertainment industry with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) if they emerge victorious in the upcoming December elections.

During a discussion on Joy Prime's Prime Morning show, Omar criticised the GRA for its aggressive tax collection tactics at events, failing to consider event organizers' financial burdens.

“It is unprofessional and inappropriate for the GRA to invade an artiste’s event or an organizer’s event, demanding tax payment without probing the cost incurred in holding the event,” he said.

Rex Omar, while elaborating on the NDC's 'The Black Star Experience' policy aimed at bolstering the creative arts and culture sector, assured that under John Dramani Mahama's leadership, the party would negotiate tax incentives with Corporate Ghana to support the creative industry.

He highlighted the unfairness of taxing event tickets without assessing the organizer's expenses, pointing out that this could lead to taxation even when events don't break even.

“You cannot go to an event centre and start taking taxes on tickets that people are buying without you even knowing how much money the event organizer has invested in the event.

“If the organizer spends, let’s say, a hundred or two hundred thousand to organize the event and only sells a hundred thousand tickets, and you’ve taken taxes out of that, isn’t it supposed to be an income tax? The guy didn’t even break even, yet you’ve taken money from him.”

“We will also be talking to Corporate Ghana so that companies that support the creative industry can be given some tax incentives,” he said.

Rex Omar emphasized that the NDC's strategy includes fostering the creative economy to generate sustainable employment and attract foreign investment.

“Any means that we will use to support this industry to grow so as to be able to export cultural products to bring foreign direct investment and money to support our economy, that is what we’re going to do and also create platforms for Ghanaian creatives,” Rex Omar stated.
He noted that while the GRA would still be present at events, their authority would be curtailed under the NDC's governance.

The NDC's campaign also features 'The Black Experience' initiative, unveiled by John Mahama, which aims to revitalize Ghana's creative industry with several innovative programs, including Pan African Month, Ghana Film Festival and Awards Month, Ghanaian Heritage and History Month, Fashion and Food Month, and Diasporan Month.

This comprehensive policy framework is expected to significantly enhance the tourism and creative arts sectors in Ghana.

ID/NOQ