President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Joseph Obeng, has questioned the effectiveness of the government’s digitalisation agenda, saying traders continue to face bureaucratic hurdles at the country’s ports despite widespread automation of revenue systems.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (17 November), Obeng argued that digital tools alone cannot guarantee efficiency without fair and workable tax policies that encourage compliance.
According to him, while digitalisation is intended to enhance revenue collection, the real determinant of compliance remains the nature of the taxes themselves.
“Digitisation is there to bring efficiency in the collection of taxes. But the actual doing of this—the willingness of traders to comply—depends on how conducive the taxes are,” he said.
He explained that the fairness, affordability and simplicity of the tax regime directly influence whether traders comply willingly or find themselves burdened by the system.
“There is a contrast here,” he noted. “You must make tax payment conducive first, before you use the digital machinery for the collection. The conduciveness and fairness of the tax are what feed into the digital system.”
Dr. Obeng urged government to introduce reforms that make the tax environment more predictable and business-friendly, insisting that technology alone cannot solve deeper structural issues at the ports.
He also warned that without addressing the underlying frustrations of importers, the digitalisation agenda would not achieve its intended impact.
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