Gov’t Scraps GRA Regional Office In Volta, Moves It To Eastern Region

The Volta Region is in the process of losing its version of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)’s regional offices on account of a new system of workstations that government is adopting.

Under the new District Tax Revenue Department (DTRD) system, the whole of Volta and Oti will fall under Koforidua, the capital for President Akufo-Addo’s home region, Eastern.

Consequently, the Ho Regional Office of the GRA is to be under the jurisdiction of Koforidua, along with a Hohoe district office. The definition given the new jurisdiction is the “Koforidua Area.”

Some observers from Volta and Oti regions are unhappy about the new DTRD arrangement, with many seeing it as a deliberate move to deprive the Volta Region by a government which is increasingly viewed as hostile towards people from the Volta Region.

However, the GRA claims the restructuring is aimed at operational efficiency.

“Currently, the operations of the MTO and STO concept which is based on the turnover of taxpayers is being reviewed to enable DTRD achieve its three transformational agenda of Revenue growth, Modernisation and structural transformation,” the GRA said in a statement.

“Instead of using the turnover of taxpayers, DTRD seeks to implement a new Area Tax Office structure (which will include) a Large Tax Payer Office located in Accra, GRA Taxpayer Service Centres (TSCs)’ Area managers to be responsible for each newly created area (and) Centralised/Area Audit and Enforcement functions,” the GRA justifies.

It also said that under the new arrangement, it is not only Volta that will come under another region and that the Tamale Area office for instance, will have charge over Northern, North East and Upper East Regions.