By Abdoulie Nyockeh
The man at the helm of affairs of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe, has hailed the level of commitment and dedication of his staff in ensuring that this year, GRA exceeds government’s set target for its revenue mobilization.
The GRA boss disclosed that this year, the set target by GRA to collect revenue for Government was at D10.7 Billion, with monthly average collection of D900 million.
Commissioner General Darboe admitted that initially, the Authority though it was impossible to achieve that target, knowing the revenue trend of the previous year.
But despite all the challenges, the Commissioner General felt elated to avow at the GRA staff award night at Paradise Suites Hotel, that this year, the Revenue Authority was on course to exceed the target set by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs [MoFEA] for 2019.
The GRA chief asserted that they all know how difficult and stressful it’s been to meet the target having regard to the size of their tax base, the collapse of Thomas Cook in the 3rd Quarter of the year, the declining volume of international trade and other logistic issues hampering international trade.
According to him, despite these factors, they were able to meet the year’s target “because of the sheer determination of our entire staff, from the cleaners, drivers, to senior management and the Board.
He further intimated that, with the enormous support and guidance of our Board, made up of distinguished personalities and experts in the various aspects of revenue mobilization, the administration teamwork of top and senior Management and that of the entire staff of the Authority.
“We are able to register the highest revenue ever collected by the Authority since its inception,” claimed CG Darboe.
He indicated that before GRA would congratulate themselves for this year’s “exceptional revenue performance”, the Ministry of Finance had set an even higher target of over 1billion dalasi monthly average for 2020.
“In effect, the bar has been raised higher again, and I hope and pray that we are able to meet the targets or even exceed it as we seek to collect the revenue needed for national development,” CG Darboe told the men and women of the coutry’s Revenue authority.
Reminding that GRA’s task is to mobilize the revenue to fund government programmes, Darboe held, “the more we collect, the more revenue the government will have in its coffers to invest in capital projects”.
“Our cause, therefore, is a national one and let us go into the year with the sense of serving our nation with honesty and integrity,” he encouraged.
The GRA top official seized the opportunity to thank their development partners and stakeholders, namely the MoFEA; Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment; the International Monetary Fund; the World Bank; AfDB; World Customs Organisation; West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF); and The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), for their invaluable support over the years.
As Darboe acknowledged, a large of GRA’s success was registered due to the various reforms that they had implemented, over the years, with their development partners and stakeholders central in the implementation of those reforms.
Other speakers included Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. Mod Secka, and the GRA Board Chairperson, Madam Lucy Faye, both of whom commended GRA management, through the “excellent leadership” of the Commissioner General. They urged the awardees to continue showing more commitment towards their work.
