Ms. Adelaide Ahwireng, acting board chairperson of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is thwarting President Akufo-Addo’s pledge of delivering good governance.
In a clear case of conflict of interest, Ms. Adelaide Ahwireng has rented two buildings belonging to her as offices for the revenue collecting agency at cut-throat annual charge of GH¢1.4million, which is inimical to the operations of GRA.
A three-story duplex and a two-storey sandcrete block property located in the Agbogbloshie South Industrial Area are the buildings in question.
Copies of the tenancy agreement Ghanacrusader has sighted reveal that Ms. Adelaide Ahwireng also unashamedly but shamefully appended her signature as landlady for the two buildings.
With regards to the three-story duplex whose tenancy agreement was signed on 4th January 2018, the acting board chairperson is charging Ghana Revenue Authority GH¢49,035.16 as monthly rent [which translates into an annual charge of GH¢588,421.92] and an interesting annual GH¢117,765.24 for “Common Area Maintenace.”
The tenancy agreement has been signed for five years and is “subject to review …one year after commencement date …provided the rent advance is more than one year.”
The agreement for the two-storey office was signed 1st June 2019 and GRA is paying ridiculous GH¢50,400.00 monthly [which translates into GH¢604,800.00 annually] and a further GH¢120,000.00 as “Common Area Maintenance.”
This reporter reached out to Mr. Kofi Nti, who is Commissioner-General of GRA and who incidentally appended his signature to the tenancy agreement as a tenant.
He refused to answer several telephone calls placed to him. Mr. Nti later sent a text message asking that communication should be via text. A text message was then sent to him requesting for an interview on the cut-throat rent charges, the conflict of interest situation of the acting board chairman and wastage of meagre resources of GRA. He has still not responded.
These cut-throat rent charges have angered some senior officers and the Workers Union of the GRA who are calling on President Akufo-Addo to step in and stop the milking away of meagre resources into few private pockets.
By Ghana’s laws, the GRA does not have to go to Parliament to present a budget for approval through the Ministry of Finance. The GRA is entitled to three percent of total revenue collected every year in order to cater for its overheads, administrative issues and development in order to improve revenue generation.
This three percent collected, is however being spent by the heads and the board recklessly.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) board is currently being chaired in an acting capacity by Ms. Adelaide Ahwireng. Other members comprise Mr. Emmanuel Kofi Nti, Commissioner-General, Hon. Carlos Ahenkorah, Deputy Trade Minister, Mr. Millison Narh, first Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana and Mr. Ernest Akore.
The rest are Col. Kojo Damoah (Rtd.) who is now Commissioner of GRA, Ms. Juliana Addo-Yobo and Maj. Daniel Ablorh Quarcoo (Rtd.).
Former CEO of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Kwame Owusu is expected to join the board as a substantive chairman but his appointment is being contested heavily by civil society organisations in corruption.
Last year, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) missed its 2018 revenue target of GH₵39,802.27 billion by GH₵2171.73 or -5.5 percent. This put a lot of government projects in jeopardy as funds were not available to prosecute them.
From the national budget, GRA has been tasked to meet a tax revenue target of GH₵45,447.26 billion for this year. And indications are that this target will be missed again.
President Akufo-Addo’s touted “Ghana Beyond Aid” mantra may be a mirage if steps are not taken to shake up the very foundation of GRA for discipline, duty and patriotism to reign.
Source:Ghanacrusader/ghanawish.com
