The Organised Labour of the Ghana Revenue Authority Workers’ Union has criticised Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for his remarks on the revenue mobilisation methods employed by the GRA. 

Dr. Bawumia, speaking at a meeting with the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed concerns about the alleged harassment of businesses by GRA staff under the guise of tax collection.

In response, the Organised Labour issued a statement dated Friday, March 22, 2024, labelling Dr. Bawumia's comments as "unfortunate" and viewed them as undermining the diligent efforts of GRA employees. 

They warned that such statements could incite worker discontent, disrupt revenue collection, and lead to industrial unrest. 

The group urged the Vice President to either acknowledge the significant advancements made by GRA or refrain from making remarks that undermine their work. 

Additionally, they highlighted the contradiction in Dr. Bawumia’s stance, given his role as Head of the Economic Management Team and his awareness of government-set targets for the Authority through the Ministry of Finance. 

Organised Labour emphasised the potential negative impact of the Vice President’s statements on future revenue mobilisation and appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to address the issue with his Vice and cautioned against such pronouncements in the future.

“We would like to state unequivocally that, we the workers of GRA, find this statement unfortunate and consider it as an attack on the efforts of the hard-working staff of the Authority which if not discontinued, would incur the displeasure of workers, disrupt revenue collection efforts and breed industrial disharmony", the union said.

“It is strange that the Vice President, who also doubles as the Head of the Economic Management Team could suggest that the Authority gives itself unrealistic targets while he is well aware that annual targets are assigned to the Authority by the government through the Ministry of Finance".

“Indeed, the least we expect from the Vice President, if he would not appreciate the efforts of the Authority in raising Tax Revenue, is not to put the lives of our hardworking staff at risk with such unfortunate comments.”

“We also call on the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the GRA Board, Civil Society organisations and all well-meaning Ghanaians to admonish political functionaries to desist from making such pronouncements and intervene swiftly as this statement poses a major risk to revenue mobilization efforts going forward.”