By Maimuna Sey-Jawo
Authorities from The Gambia Revenue Authority and the Gambia Bureau of Statistics on Monday commenced a two-day intensive enumerators training on rental property survey at the national malaria control conference hall in Kanifing.
The convergent was graced the two institutions’ top officials among other stakeholders.
Speaking at the forum, the Director of Technical Services at GRA Yahya Manneh, said GRA is implementing its 4th Corporate Strategic Plan 2020 – 2024 and one of the key priorities under the new plan is to maximize revenue mobilisation.
Under this priority, he said, multi-pronged strategies have been put in place ranging from: Compliance improvement, increased audit, enforcement capacities, integration of risk management practices,
elimination of high tax expenditures through the strengthening of the revenue laws by removing generous incentives, etc.
“Tax-based expansion activities including: Registration campaigns for new taxpayers, increase of access to GRA services, automation of all GRA processes and procedures,” he said.
Manneh stated that this rental property survey will be second of its kind, the first one was done in 2008.
GRA management, he went on, are happy to engage GBoS who has become a trusted partner to the Authority and also the best in the country in terms of expertise in research and surveys.
He told the participants as supervisors and enumerators hired to conduct this important exercise, “we are depending on your trustworthiness, honesty and professionalism to do the right thing by collecting the most accurate information from the respondents.”
“The data you will be collecting will be used by the Authority to manage compliance of this category of taxpayers. For that reason, we appeal for your best effort during the exercise. We are cognizant to the fact that nobody wants to pay tax. But to make tax system more equitable, we need everyone earning above the tax-free threshold of D24,000 per annum to contribute their fair share, so that together we can build a great country we can all be proud to call home.”
In his official statement, the Commissioner General of GRA, Yankuba Darboe commended the two institutions for the fruitful partnership they have been enjoying over the years. The training, he believes, will go a long way in helping both institutions in their work. He therefore challenged the participants to take the training seriously.
