The award ceremony will be coordinated by a special committee at the GRA headed by Chairman Matty Njie Senghore, deputy director, Compliance and Taxpayers Education Unit.
The award ceremony is expected to be attended by over five hundred people from various sectors including Cabinet ministers and will be presided over by His Excellency President Adama Barrow.
The ceremony is meant to give the most tax compliant companies awards as a sign of motivation and appreciation so that others can emulate in paying taxes to the state regularly. The award ceremony has different categories, and invitees are urged to be at the conference hall on time before the arrival of the President and his entourage.
“The main reason for organising this dinner is to show appreciation of the GRA and the government to those taxpayers who have consistently paid their taxes on time and do their fillings also on time.”
“Secondly, those businesses who did not get the award this year will try to improve on their fillings and tax payment so that they can also be awarded next year,” Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe told The Point.
GRA officials described the award ceremony as very important as it acknowledges the contribution of the business community in the mobilisation of revenue required for national development.
The idea emanates from Rwanda where taxpayers have been awarded for 16 years. Similar things happen in Kenya and Tanzania.
“As part of the global and corporate best practice, GRA has introduced this important culture to annually recognise, celebrate and reward the efforts of our loyal and compliant taxpayer contributions to the economy.”
“This day is ideally placed at the beginning of the financial year of the government in order to appreciate our distinguished taxpayers who are working very hard to liberate our country from external resource dependency. Therefore, mobilisation of domestic resources is crucial for the funding of our own budget, our own priorities, to spur our own economic growth and development.”
