The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has rolled out a fully digitised system under its newly launched Modified Taxation Scheme (MTS), aimed at making tax registration and payment simpler for individuals in the informal sector.
The authority is now working toward registering at least two million taxpayers across the country.
Chief Revenue Officer and Project Manager for the MTS, Victor Akogo, addressing the media during a tax education exercise at the Abeka Market in Accra on Thursday, December 11, described the initiative as a modern, accessible tool designed to remove long-standing barriers to tax compliance.
According to him, the new system is intended to make registration “simplified, flexible, easy and convenient” for small business operators.
He explained that individuals can now download the dedicated MTS mobile application from the Google Play Store and complete their tax registration using their Ghana Card, phone number, business location and other basic business documents.
Mr. Akogo emphasised that the first step toward compliance is simply registering.
“Before you can pay your tax, the first obligation is for you to register your tax,” he said, stressing the importance of capturing informal sector businesses into the tax net.
Under the scheme, tax obligations are determined based on turnover.
Small traders with sales below the value of a 40-foot container will pay a quarterly flat amount of GHS 45, while larger traders or those dealing with container-level volumes will pay 3% of their turnover as presumptive tax.
To make payment easier, GRA has also introduced a USSD option. “You don’t need to go to the GRA office,” Mr. Akogo noted. “Use the short code *880#, go to item 4—modified taxation—key in your Ghana Card and the amount you want to pay.”
He said nationwide sensitisation campaigns have been completed, and although thousands have registered, the authority is still far from its target.
“Our target is to get 2 million taxpayers registered,” he revealed, adding that field officers will now intensify community-level engagements to help individuals complete their registration.
Mr. Akogo encouraged all eligible individuals to sign up, pay their taxes and support national development, saying the digitised system reflects GRA’s commitment to making compliance easier for everyone.
