Julie Essiam has resigned from her role as the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), just nine months after being appointed by former President Akufo-Addo. In a heartfelt letter to President John Dramani Mahama, Essiam expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve but said it was time for her to step down.

Despite her brief tenure, Essiam’s leadership saw a significant achievement for GRA. The agency exceeded its revenue target for the 2024 fiscal year, bringing in GH₵152.977 billion, surpassing the goal by GH₵6.978 billion — a 4.8% increase. This success brought Ghana’s tax-to-GDP ratio to 17%, ahead of the target of 16.1%, and represented a 35.3% jump from 2023.

However, in her resignation letter, Essiam acknowledged there’s still more to be done for the Authority’s long-term success, particularly in transforming its operations to improve revenue collection. She called for the full implementation of IMF-backed reforms, including the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS) and the ongoing Taxpayer Data Cleansing initiative, to ensure continued growth.

Essiam’s resignation comes as the GRA continues to show impressive growth, but the future of the authority will hinge on how her proposed reforms are carried forward.

Source:TheDotNews