Yaw Acheampong Boafo elected president of Ghana Bar Association
Lawyer Yaw Acheampong Boafo, current national secretary of the Ghana Bar Association has been elected President of the Bar Association
Lawyer Yaw Acheampong Boafo, current national secretary of the Ghana Bar Association has been elected President of the Bar Association.
He takes over the leadership of the Bar Association from Anthony Forson Jnr as he exits office after serving a full three-year term.
Yaw Boafo beat Efua Gartey, by 605 votes (52.83%) to 540 votes (47.16%) in the election held as part of the 2021 annual Bar conference ongoing at the Fountain Gate Chapel, Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region.
Kwasi Amoako Agyei, the current Eastern Region president of the Bar Association was also elected Vice President of the Ghana Bar Association, beating Yaa Onyamye Gyakobo by 656 votes (57.44%) to 486 votes (42.55%).
Nana Serwa Acheampong retained her position as National Treasurer of the Association obtaining 694 votes (61.30%) as against her contender’s 438 votes (38.69%)
Kwaku Gyau Baffour current assistant secretary was elected new national secretary unopposed and Saviour Kudze, current assistant Public Relations Officer (PRO) was elected the substantive PRO unopposed.
Lawyers and Tax
At the 2021 Bar conference, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at the opening ceremony held on the 13th of September 2021, charged lawyers in Ghana to pay their taxes to inspire Ghanaians to pay theirs, too, in order for the country to undertake more development projects.
Akufo-Addo in his address said records of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) show that lawyers across the country are among those who do not pay normal income and corporate taxes.
“I have to point out that if this campaign you are undertaking [to make lawyers more active partners in the national fight against corruption] is to be successful, you will have to start from home. Mr Outgoing President of the Bar, there is no easy way of putting this: you will have to start by getting members of the Bar to pay their taxes.
“The record of lawyers in paying taxes has been historically poor. It is unfortunate but the most unpleasant fact is that the members of our profession have not been known to set a good example when it comes to paying taxes,” the president said.
“They appear to think that being members of the learned profession puts them above complying with everyday civic duties like paying taxes. It is embarrassing that lawyers are often at the top of the list of those who flout our tax laws and use their expertise to avoid paying taxes,” he added.
Wilberforce Asare
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