Failure to file income tax returns by end of April will attract GH¢500 penalty and GH¢10 charge daily — GRA warns

The Ghana Revenue Authority has stepped up a nationwide campaign to encourage the filing of income tax returns as part of activities marking Tax and Good Governance Month.

The initiative is aimed at urging all eligible individuals and businesses to meet the end of April deadline for submitting their returns.

Under the directive, taxpayers across the country are required to declare their income within the stipulated period. The Authority explained that filing tax returns is a legal obligation for all income earners, serving as a statutory declaration of earnings from employment, business or investments, as well as the tax due.

The GRA warned that failure to comply would attract a GH¢500 penalty, with an additional GH¢10 charged for each day of default, and possible prosecution that could result in a custodial sentence for wilful noncompliance.

Beyond meeting legal requirements, the Authority noted that filing returns also allows taxpayers to benefit from reliefs and claim refunds, making the process beneficial both to individuals and national revenue mobilisation.

Speaking in an interview in Accra, the Commissioner of the Domestic Tax Division at the GRA, Martin Kolbil Yamborigya, emphasised the importance of compliance in strengthening domestic revenue and promoting good governance.

“Filing returns is a statutory obligation for all persons who earn income and we expect full compliance before the end of April,” he said.