The Chartered Institute of Taxation Ghana (CITG) has once again warned individuals and entities who have not been certified by the Institute but hold themselves as tax professionals to desist from such conduct.
Addressing participants at the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG) 2023 Regulators Forum, Registrar at CITG, Dr. Frank Yao Gbadago, said that the CITG is the only body authorised under Act 916 to promote the study of taxation and regulate the practice of taxation in Ghana.
The same Act, he stated, mandates the CITG to conduct the relevant examinations for prospective candidates, and those candidates can only hold themselves as tax practitioners upon qualification.
“Under the empowering provisions of Act 916, the Council of CITG conducts professional qualifying examinations leading to the prestigious Chartered Tax Practitioner qualification. This qualification is a prerequisite for individuals or firms to engage in the practice of taxation.”
“Without it, one is not permitted to practice taxation within Ghana,” he stressed.
Dr. Gbadago revealed further that the Institute is mandated to regulate the curricula and certificates of institutions that provide tuition on tax and to uphold the standards of knowledge and skills to be attained by persons seeking to practice taxation in the country.
Dr. Gbadago disclosed that the CITG noticed a rise in the practice of tax and the provision of tax services such as filing tax returns and determining tax liabilities by accountants in 2020, which matter also emerged during the drafting of the present ICAG Act.
According to him, following an assessment by the Ministry of Education and the Parliament’s Select Committee on Education, it was resolved that “any activity falling within the realm of taxation, including retooling financial statements, determining tax liabilities, filing returns, and providing opinions on taxation, falls under the jurisdiction of CITG.”
“It was emphatically established that these activities cannot be undertaken without the requisite CITG qualification and membership,” the Registrar added, citing sections 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, and 33 of Act 916.
He warned that firms and individuals who are currently performing the afore-mentioned services without the requisite registration, certification, and licence from the institute are in violation of Act 916, which is punishable under Section 33 of the Act.
In addition, he noted that the CITG, on their part, has been issuing various public notices and caution letters to dissenting firms and individuals while embarking on extensive educational and engagement activities in a bid to curb the wrongful practice of taxation in Ghana.
