The
Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), with support from AFRITAC West 2 IMF, on Monday
commenced a two-week intensive training for the officials of GRA tax audit
unit.
The
training, being attended by at least 20 tax auditors, is underway at a hotel in
Kololi.
Ebou
Jallow, GRA deputy commissioner for tax audit said the training is part of GRA
efforts to ensure compliance for “compliance is key to any revenue authority”.
He
said at the end of the training, GRA would decide on good and comprehensive
compliance strategy for the taxpayers.
“Tax
payers are our partners in development; we don’t see them as our enemies, but
as partners. So the best way to identify
our taxpayers is for us to develop strategies to get them on board and help
them to comply,” he said.
Last
year March, Mr Jallow said a couple of GRA officers were trained in Liberia to
be trainers.
“This
training is a replica of that one in Liberia to train our reporters to become
more responsive in service delivery,” he said, adding that the training was
designed to share and learn from the resource persons and other participants.
According
to Mr Jallow, the focus areas during the
two-week training is developing a risk matrix for the various sectors of
taxpayers population, such as the energy sector, tourism, retail sectors, and
the telecom, which are key to our tax payers.
GRA
Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe said the training is very paramount as far
as GRA is concerned and that the participants should take good advantage of the
training opportunity.
“If
GRA were to take the staff for overseas training for two weeks, it would have
cost them more money and less would have benefited due to the cost involve,” Mr
said.
Mr
Darboe also used the opportunity to commend AFRITAC West2 for making a lot of
investments to help improve capacity.
The
lead consultant from Uganda, Antony Mwendha, said the purpose of the training
is to conduct training for the audit team of the GRA to enhance their audit
skills.
James
Tengboh, also a consultant from Sierra Leone, said the training is expected to
make the participants more responsive and productive in their duties.
