Commissioner-General of GRA Julie Essiam has resigned from office
The Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ms Julie Essiam, has tendered her resignation letter to the president’s office through the minister-designate for Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson.
Former President Akufo-Addo appointed Miss Julie Essiam Commissioner-General of the GRA on 24 March 2024. Until her appointment, she was responsible for the GRA’s Support Services Division.
Her resignation is contained in a letter dated Monday, 20 January 2025, addressed to the President of the Republic and copied to the Vice President, Chief of Staff, the Minister of Finance Designate, and the Secretary to the President.
“With the greatest depth of gratitude, after five and half years of an incredible career at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), I write to resign from my position as the Commissioner-General (C-G)y of the Authority, with immediate effect.
“The opportunity to serve this nation in this capacity has been an honor and a privilege. The successes of my journey at the GRA, and in particular my tenure as the C-G, has been possiblem because of the collective efforts of all the men and women of the GRA.
“Together with this exceptional group of employees across the GRA, my tenure as the C-G has been a blessing with historic achievements, and I am in awe of this dedicated, committed, and ntalented workforce of this great A uthority who have supported me throughout my journey at the GRA.
“Together, we have achieved remarkable successes especially in the area of revenue collection and consistently exceeded our monthly revenue targets during my tenure as the C-G, I am proud of what this team has accomplished for our dear nation,” Ms Julie Essiam’s letter of resignation read.
“Specifically, I leave behind a revenue performance of GHe152.977bn, against a target of GHc145.998bn for the 2024 fiscal year. This represents exceeding our annual target by GHé6.978bn, an increase of4.8%. With this performance the GRA is now operating at a Tax to GDP Ratio of 17.0%, exceeding the target of 16.1%. Overall, this achievement represents a nominal growth of 35.3% over the 2023 performance.
“This notwithstanding, there still remain opportunities for a fundamental transformation of the Authority’s operating model for optimal revenue mobilization. The immediate imperative for full implementation is the IMF Structural Benchmarks, including the implementation of the ITAS (Integrated Tax Administration System) for the DTRD, and the sustainability of the ongoing Taxpayer Data Cleansing initiative. I have outlined all of this in my report to be shared with the Honorable Finance Minister – Designate,” the letter further read.
Ms Essiam express my utmost gratitude to the former President for giving her opportunity; the former Vice President for his unwavering support, and commitment to her success; the Former Minister for Finance, Hon. Mohamed Amin Adam for his trust, and the confidence reposed in her, and giving her the free wings to soar.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was established in 2009 as a merger of the three revenue agencies; the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Value Added Tax Service (VATS), and the Revenue Agencies Governing Board (RAGB) by the Ghana Revenue Authority Act 2009, (Act 791).
The GRA’s core mandate is to ensure maximum compliance with all relevant tax laws to ensure a sustainable revenue stream for government, trade facilitation, and a controlled and safe flow of goods across the country’s borders.
GRA also administers several international agreements that govern the country’s relations with other tax jurisdictions and institutions such as World Customs Organisation Protocols, World Trade Organisation Protocols, Double Taxation, and Exchange of Information Agreements.
The Authority is made up of two operational divisions; the Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD), and the Customs Division (CD) with assistance from the Support Services Division (SSD) and the Commissioner General’s Secretariat.
Source: asaaseradio
