CG Darboe vows D23bn revenue target by November

“All things being equal, we will get our target, probably even in November,” Darboe declared on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on West Coast Radio Monday morning. “The digital platforms we have in place are helping us greatly in terms of blocking leakages. If it’s a pipe, the pipe is going directly where you want it to go.”

Darboe, joined in studio by Deputy Commissioner General Essa Jallow, said the GRA’s ongoing digital transformation is revolutionising tax collection and enforcement. Systems such as electronic VAT invoicing, rental income compliance software and revenue assurance tools are streamlining processes while curbing tax evasion.

Pressed by Gomez to clarify the controversial 27% fringe benefit tax, CG Darboe insisted it was neither unique to The Gambia nor unfairly targeted at private sector workers.

“It’s just like corporation tax or VAT; you see it everywhere, even in neighbouring countries,” he explained. 

“And it’s neutral, but it’s also a deductible expense when calculating your corporate tax; one hand gives, the other hand takes back.”

Darboe admitted that GRA’s taxpayer education needed to better highlight this aspect to avoid the common misconception that the tax is purely punitive.

Responding to a listener’s concerns about unmarked drinks entering from neighbouring countries, Darboe admitted that smuggling remains an active threat to revenue collection.

“Barra and other areas are big,” he said. “Just last week, Mobile Brigade seized over 150 cartons of smuggled canned drinks, water, and other goods. But we’ve sensitised the area shopkeepers who now refuse smuggled goods unless they pass through GRA.”

He stressed that GRA’s 1,000 staff cannot be everywhere at once, urging citizens to report illegal trade: “This is collective work. The money we collect is for the entire nation for development, peace, and stability. Without peace, business cannot thrive.”

Darboe acknowledged that lack of compliance and poor record-keeping remain GRA’s biggest headaches.

“People are supposed to pay taxes by the 15th, but we have to go after them. That’s not best practice,” he lamented. “Some even submit false documents, but our post clearance audit teams are catching them.”

Maintaining a 24/7 digital system also requires stable electricity and internet costly undertakings for the authority. Fiber optic connections from Gamtel cost GRA about D500,000 per month, while software licences and fuel for generators eat into the budget.

Deputy Commissioner General Essa Jallow, addressed two recurring taxpayer concerns: VAT charges by unregistered businesses and withholding tax misunderstandings.

“No business can legally charge VAT without registration,” Jallow warned, noting that compulsory registration kicks in at a D2 million turnover.

On withholding tax, he stressed it is “just an advance payment towards your annual liability” and not an extra charge. Overpayments, he assured, are refunded after verification.