Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Borlabi Bortey, Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana's Accra Diocese, has encouraged the government to widen the tax base in order to boost tax collection.
"It's past time we took significant measures to shrink the sizable informal sector and bring in more taxpayers."
To make sure that all professionals—lawyers, architects, surveyors, etc.—are appropriately taxed on their salaries, he said, the Ghana Revenue Authority should figure out a means to register all professions.
According to him, the GRA must find ways to accomplish this in the digital age so that the nation can generate enough income to balance the budget.
"We should transition to a society where it is accepted practice for each service provider to report their earnings on an official GRA receipt book and accurately record his monthly earnings.
It is feasible.
The government will be able to generate much-needed revenue for development as a result of the tax net being enlarged and increased, according to Rt. Rev. Bortey.
The bishop also urged the nation to step up efforts to process its produce for export by restructuring the economy from a primary product-oriented market to a processed goods exporting economy. The bishop was speaking at the opening of the 62nd Annual Synod of the Accra Diocese of the Methodist Church in Ghana.
"Let's step up our efforts to industrialize; it's the only way to increase our export revenues and support the cedi's value, and it should be supported by a strict import substitution strategy. We are also importing.
He also urged people to support local businesses in order to boost the nation's export push and provide jobs for young people.
"Too many factories have already been allowed to fail for a variety of reasons."
The only way the Ghanaian economy can recover is through increasing industrialization; therefore, let's keep our feet firmly planted on the gas.
Synod
"Discipleship: Living the Transformed Life in Jesus Christ towards Implementing the Agenda for Revival, Transformation, and Growth" was the subject of the 62nd Synod of the Accra Diocese.
The Mount Ararat Methodist Church in Bubiashie, Accra, hosted the gathering, which included pastors and churchgoers from the Accra Diocese.
Each year, a four-day gathering is conducted to address problems facing the diocese and come up with suggestions for improving the church.
Street hawking The Right Reverend Bortey also urged the authorities to outlaw it and provide suitable marketplaces for the hawkers.
He said that one of the main contributors to the squalor that gave the nation a disheveled appearance was street selling, and he encouraged the government to put systems in place to address the problem.
He demanded that the government outlaw the use of street beggar children who suffer from incapacitating ailments.
He said that the practice of street beggar children was revolting and that it was upsetting to witness helpless youngsters being paraded around in pitiful conditions.
He claimed that some of the organizations that showcased the kids were just dishonest.
skill development
The Bishop of the Accra Diocese further asked the church to recognize the talents of its people and put in place plans for skill development that would lessen poverty among the congregation.
This, he claimed, would also boost the government's goal to teach children and students in STEM fields the necessary skills that may lead to their finding long-term employment.
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