The governing councils of Professional bodies are required by law to demand Tax Clearance Certificates (TCC) from their members before renewing their professional practicing licenses. This was revealed by the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, and reiterated by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at the launch of the Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in Accra.

Reference was made specifically to Revenue Administration Act (RAA) 2016, Act 915, the First Schedule which states that professional bodies are to make this a requirement for the renewal of practicing licenses. Failure to comply with this provision, according to the commissioner, is an offense punishable by law and will henceforth be strictly enforced by GRA.

In order to facilitate the filing of taxes and the generation of Tax Clearance Certificates, the Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate app was developed. The App is an integrated digital platform that enables taxpayers to do three key things at a go: access and generate their tax clearance certificate online, file their tax returns and also check their tax compliance status.

There are also three options for accessing the platform: either through a QR Code, the platform’s online portal or through a USSD short code *880#, with either a smart or a ‘yam’ phone.

Launching the platform, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who has spearheaded the government’s digital transformation, said the introduction of the Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate by the GRA further signifies the government’s commitment to its digitalization agenda.

The launch of the app was attended by heads of professional organisations, Trade Unions, and players in the Fintech sector.