The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has refuted claims that its disagreements with the National Identification Authority (NIA) over alleged debts have disrupted port clearance.
Commissioner-General Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition, stressed that reports suggesting importers cannot clear goods due to the Ghana Card row are false. “What also came out was the negative or the incorrect news to say that because NIA has taken that action, people cannot clear their stations. As you speak right now, it is not an accurate account,” he said.
Mr. Sarpong clarified that most importers operate under business Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) generated by the GRA, not the Ghana Card. “We don’t rely on Ghana Card. And therefore it couldn’t have been that if you don’t have your Ghana Card at use, you cannot import,” he explained.
He assured the public that no complaints had been received from importers and that existing taxpayers remain unaffected. “Once your Ghana Card is validated and in our system, it’s not something we validate all the time. So for existing taxpayers, both corporate and individuals, this matter is not having any impact at all,” he noted.
Addressing the broader dispute, Mr. Sarpong acknowledged legacy arrangements between the NIA and GRA but said the matter is being addressed at leadership level. “We met here in GRA offices, and we discussed the matter, and we agreed that as leaders, we need to look at the issues and resolve them. It was a huge surprise to hear our sister agency trying to take the matter to the media,” he said.
He insisted that inter-agency disagreements should not disrupt service delivery. “It’s important to recognize that when you have problems, you cannot solve it all in the media. Our actions should not destabilize public service delivery,” he concluded, reaffirming GRA’s commitment to work with the NIA.
