The country’s apex revenue collection body has collected D1.2 billion in the month of April alone, as per disclosure by Commissioner General (CG) Yankuba Darboe.
He informed this medium that, the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) had been tasked to collect 1.1billion in the month of April 2021, but instead D1.2 Billion was collected for the said month this year.
Admitting that due to the prevailing obstacles posed to the work of the authority by the Covid pandemic, the revenue generation had been a tough assignment for them, the GRA boss indicated they had made the greatest possible effort to ensure that the revenue target set for the authority is met.
He also pointed out that during this challenging time of the pandemic, both the board and management of GRA had been making tireless and emphatic efforts to ensure that they collect the needed revenue for national development.
The Commissioner General used the opportunity to give a thumbs up to his staff for the milestone achievement, but also challenged them to maintain the good work they had been doing at the authority.
He reminded them that they are executing a scared national duty which seeks to mobilize resources inwards to foot the national development activities. His message: “I challenge and encourage my staff to keep up the good work they have been doing despite we are confronted with the difficulties posed to our work due to the Pandemic.”
The GRA boss divulged that due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating effects on businesses, the authority would continue to accept payment plans from the business actors, noting this would enable them to pay and fulfill their tax obligations with ease.
Darboe recognized the pivotal role the World Bank continues to play for the authority in the areas of providing capacity building programmes, and its ongoing efforts to provide an ITAS software that the authority uses to collect domestic revenue.
He also expressed sincere gratitude and appreciations to the business community and the major importers who have been making tremendous efforts and strives in meeting up to their tax obligations.
To him, the fulfillment of the tax obligations by the business community and the major importers had been the ‘corner stone’ for the success registered in the generation of D1.2 billion in April 2021.
“I am grateful to the business community, commercial banks, cell phone companies, public enterprises, general public and major importers for their unflinching support to the authority, and the giant strives they have been making in keeping to their tax obligations,” Darboe puts on record.
