- GRA is testing a digital economy tool to collect taxes from online businesses
- Many foreign online businesses sell in Ghana without paying VAT
- System to automatically deduct taxes at the point of payment
Acting Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, has announced that the authority is piloting a digital economy tool to collect taxes from online businesses. Speaking at the KPMG 2026 Post-Budget Forum on Monday, themed “Resetting for Growth, Jobs and Economic Transformation,” he explained that the initiative aims to ensure Ghana benefits from the rapidly expanding online business sector.
“We are currently piloting what we call the digital economy tool because online businesses are growing. Many companies operating outside the country are selling heavily in Ghana, yet we do not capture the VAT,” he said.
The GRA is working with the Bank of Ghana and the Financial Intermediation to implement a system that automatically deducts taxes at the point of payment. Mr. Sarpong cited global examples, including tech giants like Amazon, to show how such a system can ensure that taxes owed to Ghana are properly collected.
He stressed that the government is not introducing new taxes but improving the efficiency of collecting existing ones.
“Government action is not about introducing new taxes; it is about creating efficiencies in the administration of existing taxes. This way, we believe we can generate significantly more revenue,” he stated.
