CG Darboe Discloses
By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), Hon. Yankuba Darboe, has hinted that the country’s main revenue collection agency will not show any sign of slowing down despite the agency ‘s remarkable revenue collection performance of-late, disclosing that the GRA has plans in the pipeline to introduce three more tax lines.
The Gambia’s revenue collection boss also revealed that the GRA is on the cusp of digitalizing all its revenue lines to promote efficiency, transparency and accountability in tax administration.
Speaking to reporters at the Revenue House in Banjul on Tuesday, CG Darboe disclosed that the GRA has plans in the works to introduce revenue lines such as revenue assurance, rental income compliance software and electronic VAT invoicing system.
“We have in plans other reforms, for example the revenue assurance, which will deal with telecom services providers; GSM operators. GSM companies are paying us a lot of money. However, we also want to show off our tax liability in the process of people, making calls and texting. So, if we have the system now, it’s going to be a real life situation. Any amount owed to us, we would see it live. So, at the end of the month, we will collect what belongs to us,” Darboe explained, adding: “Another reform that is in the pipeline is rental income compliance software. We know that people have to pay rent whether commercial or residential and in that case, many people are not coming forward to pay. We want to introduce a system called rental income compliance software to help us do the collection. Hopefully, it would come by the 1st of May.”
The GRA boss also informed reporters that the Authority plans to implement a VAT electronic invoicing system project.
“Businesses that are registered with a minimum turnover of D2M are obliged by law to register VAT. If you register VAT, the law has now given you the power….Whoever buys your good, you charge 15 per cent and you add that onto your sales price,” he explained.
Hon. Darboe pointed out that the GRA is on the march to revolutionize tax collection through efficiency enhancement, widening the tax base and leveraging technology.
“GRA is on the process of changing the processes and procedures of tax collection and in doing that we need to bring in systems and when we bring in systems. We are migrating from doing things manually. When technology comes in, efficiency is increased. We are doing that [leveraging technology] and will continue until every revenue line is digitalized,” he stated.
Darboe believes the proposed tax lines have great revenue generation potentials.
He recalled how the various relatively new revenue lines and technology such as the digital weigh bridge at the Banjul Port, fuel marking system, e-tracking system and digital excise stamp have widened the tax base and launched revenue collection on a whole new height of efficiency.
“The revenue generation potentials of the proposed revenue lines are great,” Darboe stated.