Celebrities to be taxed for ‘expensive lifestyle’ – GRA

The Chief Revenue Officer of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Dominic Naab says persons in the creative art industry will be taxed based on their lifestyles.Speaking at a tax sensitization workshop at the Accra Tourism Information Center, on Friday 23rd November, Mr Naab said:

“The GRA will see to it that persons in the creative arts pay their tax because they earn a lot and live expensive lifestyles”

According to him, celebrities all over the world are taxed based on their lifestyles and the same formula will be applied here in Ghana.

He explained that the creative industry persons need to visit the GRA office and explain for example if they are presented with gifts in the form of a car, a house or anything valuable.

“We tax based on the expensive cars the creative people drive so the onus lies on them to explain to us that the cars or the expensive lifestyle are all sponsored by other people” he said.

However, Actors, Martha Ankomah, Gloria Osei Sarfo, Beverly Afaglo, Bob Smith  and others who where present at the workshop were not pleased with Mr Naab’s comments.

According to Martha Ankomah, it is not right to be taxed on her lifestyle when she is being sponsored by other people.

“How do you know whether I rented the car or the car I am driving belongs to a friend? The fact that I take pictures at an expensive place doesn’t mean I am living an expensive lifestyle” she stated.

Actress Beverly Afaglo  also said that the whole taxation process has to be explained well for the understanding of every artiste or anyone in the creative arts

“I personally disagree with how GRA wants the creative arts people to pay tax. Some of the creative people have well to do families who support them and GRA can’t tax them because they live expensive lifestyles. Displaying your expensive lifestyle is not enough to tax us” she stated.

The workshop was also attended by other well known faces in the movie industry including, Adjetey Annang, Paa George, Yvonne Nelson, Jackie Appiah, Van Vicker, Nana Ama McBrown, Gloria Osei Sarfo, movie producer Abdul Salam Mumuni among other personalities.

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