VAT Service holds retreat

Tema, March 10, GNA - Forty-five managers of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Service on Thursday began a two-day retreat at Tema to map out strategies for increased revenue generation.

The participants, made up of Field/Regional Managers and Units Heads drawn from all the 10 regions are deliberating on the theme: "Improving revenue collection through tax compliance". They are deliberating on issues such as the overview of operations in 2004, corporate targets, enhancing measures/policy initiatives for 2005, "outfield revenue/operational targets" and "overview of finance, operations".

Speaking to newsmen, Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, said the National Health Insurance Council Formula for the distribution of health insurance funds to the various mutual schemes at the district level would soon be laid before Parliament.

He said this would enable the roll out of the scheme at an accelerated pace and urged the districts lagging behind to set up their scheme while individuals must also ensure to register with it to ensure quality health care.

So far, the Deputy Minister said 18 schemes had been given their benefits while 45 more were yet to receive theirs by the end of June. Mr Agyeman Manu commended VAT officials for their efforts to raise funds in its kitty to enable government start the scheme and promised that his Ministry would play a facilitating role to enable the Service to operate efficiently.

He, however, advised the officials against unethical practices in order not to give negative perception about the Service.