Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has advised the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to leverage the link between the Ghana Card and Tax Identification Number (TIN) to improve the identification and tax collection procedures for both individuals and businesses.

Dr. Bawumia criticized the current GRA approach, which concentrates solely on existing taxpayers, labeling it as "lazy."

He underscored the importance of adopting a more proactive and efficient strategy that specifically targets individuals and businesses that are not yet tax-compliant.

Addressing the 57th Congregation at KNUST on Friday, November 24, the Vice President stated that "By linking the Ghana Card number and the TIN number, GRA can tell who has filed and who has not filed their tax, and so it is rich data that is available to GRA, and I am asking GRA to use that data."

He continued, "It is a very lazy approach to go and keep looking for taxes from people who are paying taxes already when you could look at those who are not paying taxes, who are the vast majority. They should be the ones that GRA should focus on, and we would get more taxes from the vast majority."

In addition to his recommendations, Vice President Dr. Bawumia suggested that the GRA institute a bonus system tied to the recruitment of new taxpayers, providing incentives for GRA officers who bring in individuals and businesses previously outside the tax system.

Furthermore, Dr. Bawumia announced a forthcoming initiative, starting in December 2023, wherein every child born in Ghana will be assigned a Ghana Card number.

Looking ahead, the Vice President shared plans for the implementation of a credit scoring system in the coming year, linked to the Ghana Card. This system aims to reward individuals with a favorable credit history by offering lower interest rates and increased access to loans. This initiative is expected to incentivize responsible loan repayment behavior.