By Hadday Touray
Mr. Yankuba Darboe, Commissioner General Gambia Revenue Authority has disclosed that his office has collected over D10.4 billion from 1st January to 30th June 2024.
Report monitor on West Coast Radio with Peter Gomez’s Coffee Time, he stated that for May and June, the authority collected over D1.7 billion in May while over D1.5 billion in June.
He echoed that the annual revenue target of D19.2 billion in 2024 GRA was set by the Government through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.
He commended the effectiveness of the digitalization system introduced by GRA, noting that the new digitalization system has contributed immensely to shaping GRA’s leap and improving revenue collection over recent years.
Commissioner Darboe pointed out that the smart technology introduced had greatly eased and closed some major leakages hindering GRA’s revenue collection over the years.
He said there are t challenges over having the new tech system in place before people or taxpayers in the country could cherish and appreciate some of the reforms GRA has introduced.
According to him, at the level of GRA, they are used to certain emerging challenges from the public, adding that at the end of the day, people do appreciate more, and some would even say “This new technology could have come earlier on.”
He added that the ASYCUDA++ to the ASYCUDA World, when this technology was introduced, there was a lot of outcry but at the end of the day, people have come to appreciate the system.
“When GRA introduced the digital tax stamp, there was a lot of noise. But today, I’m visiting supermarkets, manufacturing companies, and factories; they are all using the digital tax stamp. This will help GRA to generate what is meant for Government fairly and transparently,” he concluded.