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Pay your taxes and enjoy many reliefs -GRA  

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Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Commissioner-General

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) says there are many tax reliefs for Ghanaians who pay and file their tax returns.  Mr. Lawrence Hotsonyame, Assistant Commissioner in charge of the Training and Development Department, said the country had all these services, but citizens might not benefit if they failed to file their tax returns.

Mr. Hotsonyame made this known at a two-day workshop for some selected court reporters in Accra.  The two-day workshop was organised by the GRA in  collaboration with the Judicial Training Institute for selected journalists and Staff of the Communication and Public Affairs Department of GRA.

It was aimed at educating participants on the Judicial System of Ghana, effective reporting of court proceedings and courtroom etiquette, among others. Some of the tax reliefs include Aged and Dependent relief, Marriage relief, Children relief, Disability relief, mortgage relief, Responsibility relief and Cause of Training relief.

He said in the administration of the tax laws, disputes might arise between the taxpayer and GRA which would require resolution by the law courts.   ”It is therefore the expectation that, tax cases brought before the courts should be dealt with expeditiously to ensure fairness and timely collection of taxes due the State,” he said.

The Assistant Commissioner said the GRA was counting on the Judiciary to assist to fulfill its statutory obligations of mobilising tax revenue for national development.

He said with the disputes arising as a result of tax related issues, the Ministry of Finance inaugurated the Independent Tax Appeals Board to provide a clear mechanism for resolution.  The establishment of the board is part of Government’s initiative to transform revenue administrations and enhance revenue mobilization.

“It is to provide an alternative tax dispute mechanism in the country,  instill confidence in investors by providing a neutral entity for the resolution of tax disputes and relieve the Ministry of Finance from having to mediate or resolve tax disputes between GRA and taxpayers.

The Board was established in accordance with the Revenue Administration (Amendment) Act,  2020 (Act 1029).”

He said the GRA aimed to become a world class revenue administration institution with professionalism, integrity and excellence. According to him, the GRA has commenced an aggressive automation drive and appealed to the public to assist the authority by paying their taxes regularly to propel development.

Mr. Yaw Boadu-Ayebuafoh, Chairman of the National Media Commission, said using the media to inform or educate the public about GRA and taxpayers was one of the positive ways to enhance awareness about the Constitutional imperative of open declaration of incomes.

“As journalists, we must deploy our skills to consciously enable the people understand the work of GRA. We must also stimulate change with our reportage on tax issues,” he added.

Source: GNA

Entertainment sells Ghana more than football –Dada Hafco

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NANA KWESI COOMSON
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Dada Hafco

Highlife musician, Dada Hafco argues that the culture and creative industries hold greater fortunes for the country than sports.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, Dada Hafco said; “Look at how much money we’ve been pumping into the Black Stars. I am an avid football lover. I would love to watch football every time. But since 1982 if we haven’t won any football trophy why do we keep doing it when in recent times Ghana has become a hub for entertainment every Christmas?”

“Why are we not channeling enough energy [into the arts] because entertainment is actually putting Ghana on the map more than even football so why are not putting more energy into that?” Hafco added.

The highlife musician also remonstrated lack of a collective agenda to promote Ghanaian music as one of the nemeses of the music industry in Ghana.

According to him, if the Broadcasting Law is passed to give assent to playing more local songs than foreign songs on Ghanaian radio, a lot of songs that have been consigned to the back by some DJs will make their way into their playlists.

He also noted that even though he believes every artiste in Ghana should be free to venture into music genres of their choice, highlife should be projected to be the face of Ghana’s music.

Dada Hafco, is one half of the defunct highlife duo Mframa known for songs such as ‘FiiliGadoochi’, ‘Ghana Lady’, ‘Meboso’, among others.

Since he went solo, he has released songs like ‘YebewuNti’, ‘Obarima’, ‘Our Story’, ‘Bedianko’ and ‘Friends’.

We worked at construction sites for survival –Tagoe Sisters

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NANA KWESI COOMSON
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Tagoe Sisters

Celebrated Ghanaian Gospel group, Tagoe Sisters, have revealed how they survived before their breakthrough in the music industry.

In an interview on Accra FM, the twins recalled how they managed to survive through life some years ago.

Recounting their struggles, they disclosed that at a point in their lives, they had to mix mortar at construction sites just to survive.

They also worked at quarry sites, one of which has been transformed into the new Achimota station.

Tagoe Sisters said they have to undertake such jobs, including carrying sand and blocks to survive during their school days.

These experiences happened while living with their adopted father, Nana Ekumfi Ameyaw.

They also disclosed how the name ‘Tagoe Sisters’ came about.

58 bodies recovered in Kenya starvation cult case

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Kenyan police Monday have exhumed dozens of bodies from mass graves in a forest in eastern Kenya linked to a religious cult whose followers allegedly starved themselves to get to heaven.

Paul Mackenzie Nthege, the leader of the cult, was arrested after police received a tip-off that his vast land on the Shakahola forest in the Kilifi County of eastern Kenya, contained mass graves.

Police clad in overalls have been scouring the site since Friday when they have found increasing number of bodies each day.

Police attended the site Friday and started exhuming bodies finding an increasing number of bodies found each day.

There are fears the numbers could rise as the Kenya Red Cross said 112 people had been reported missing to its staff at Malindi.

Kenya’s President Ruto branded Mackenzie a “terrible criminal,” whose actions were “akin to terrorists.”

The case has sent shockwaves through Kenya and the government has vowed tighter regulations on religious bodies and organisations.

Kenya is a deeply religious country and has had problems in the past with unregulated churches and cults.

Source: cnn.com

US women arrested in Sydney with golden gun in luggage

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The 28-year-old faces up to 10 years in jail

A US woman has been arrested in Australia after a 24-carat gold-plated gun was found in her luggage.

The woman, who has not been identified, arrived in Sydney from Los Angeles and did not have a permit for the firearm, the Australian Border Force (ABF) said.

She could face up to 10 years in jail.

Photos released by the ABF showed an airport scan of the woman’s luggage, revealing the firearm inside her bag. A second photo showed the handgun after the bag was opened.

In a statement, an ABF official said that sophisticated detection technology had helped stop a dangerous weapon from entering the country.

“Time and time again, we have seen just how good ABF officers are at targeting and stopping illegal, and highly dangerous, goods from crossing Australia’s border,” ABF Commander Justin Bathurst said.

Officials said the 28-year-old woman was charged and appeared before the Downing Centre Local Court on Monday, where she received bail.

She could also face the cancellation of her visa and removal from Australia, pending the outcome of the court proceedings.

Airline passengers on domestic flights in the US can travel with firearms in a checked bag when they are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided case. Travellers must also tell airline representatives that they intend to travel with the weapon during check-in.

But in 2022, record number of firearms was confiscated from US airport passengers. A total of 6,301 guns were taken at checkpoints as of mid-December, the transportation Security Administration (TSA) said.

Source: bbc.com

Andrey Medvedev: Wagner deserter admits Norway bar brawl

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Andrey Medvedev in uniform before defecting from Wagner

A former commander in Russia’s Wagner mercenary group who is seeking asylum in Norway has pleaded guilty to being involved in a fight outside an Oslo bar and carrying an air gun in public.

Andrey Medvedev, who crossed into Norway from Russia in January, is believed to be the first member of the Wagner group to defect to the West.

Mr Medvedev said he felt “very ashamed” for the crimes he admitted to.

But he denied assaulting police officers in the Norwegian capital.

The Wagner group has been used in many Russian operations in the Ukraine war. UK officials estimate it makes up 10% of Moscow’s forces in Ukraine.

The former mercenary pleaded guilty to fighting outside the bar on 22 February and preventing a police officer from doing their duty. The alleged assault of officers at the police station – which he denies – happened on the same night.

He pleaded guilty to carrying an air gun in public three weeks later.

A police officer told the court that Mr Medvedev had been “visibly drunk” and “in fight mode” on the night of the brawl.

The accused’s lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, said that Mr Medvedev “understands that he was out of hand that evening and consumed too much alcohol, and there was a fight with people outside the bar”.

“He does not accept the count of using violence towards a policeman. That was a misunderstanding. He never touched the policeman.”

Mr Medvedev told the court that he instinctively reacted to the pain of being restrained, but “had no intention of hurting anyone”.

Source: bbc.com

US President Joe Biden announces 2024 re-election campaign

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US President Joe Biden

United States President Joe Biden has officially launched his campaign for re-election in 2024, becoming the Democratic frontrunner in a race that could pit him for a second time against Republican contender Donald Trump.

Biden’s announcement in a video on Tuesday came on the fourth anniversary of the start of his first successful presidential bid.

A majority of Democrats would back Biden, 80, against a Republican challenger in next year’s election, a recent poll found.

But the Democratic president faces some of the lowest approval ratings of his tenure so far, and his age – Biden is currently the oldest person to ever hold the highest US office – has spurred questions about his re-election prospects.

Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination with no serious Democratic rivals. But he is still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation.

“I said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are,” Biden said in his campaign video. “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer.”

Source: Aljazeera.com

Sudan crisis: Gunfire heard but uneasy truce holds

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A girl waits to leave Khartoum

A ceasefire in Sudan appears to be holding, although there have been reports of new gunfire and shelling.

It is the fourth effort to stop the fighting which began on 15 April, with previous truces not observed.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the 72-hour truce had been agreed between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after 48 hours of negotiations.

The latest ceasefire attempt started at midnight (22:00 GMT on Monday).

At least 459 people have died in the conflict so far, though the actual number is thought to be much higher.

Both sides had confirmed they would cease hostilities.

But Tagreed Abdin, who lives 7km from the centre of Khartoum, said she could hear shelling from her home on Tuesday morning despite the agreement.

“The situation right now is that this morning there was shelling and gunfire,” she told the BBC.

“Obviously the ceasefire hasn’t taken,” she added.

The RSF has accused the army of violating the truce by “continuing to attack Khartoum with planes”.

Meanwhile, an army spokesperson has told Sky News Arabia that the RSF was responsible for “storming prisons” following reports of gunfire at Port Sudan.

In other developments, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned there is a “high risk of biological hazard” after fighters seized a laboratory believed to be holding samples of diseases, including polio and measles.

Since the violence began, residents of Khartoum have been told to stay inside, and food and water supplies have been running low.

The bombing has hit key infrastructure, like water pipes, meaning that some people have been forced to drink from the River Nile.

Source: bbc.com

Feature: Earth Day: Communities need resources for climate action

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Feature

Grassroot communities need the support with resources, and energy to solve climate change, other environmental issues and take care for the mother earth.

Dr Roselid Nkirote, the executive director of the African Coalition of Communities Responsive to Climate Change (ACCRCC) noted the Earth Day 2023 raises the consciousness to take action that could save the only planet mankind has.

Dr Nkirote urged grassroots communities in the east and horn of Africa to embark on massive tree planting exercises at this time when the region is experiencing rainfall in bid to restore degraded lands.

She noted that the region could take advantage of the ongoing rainfall to safeguard against the debilitating effects of drought experienced over the last two years.

“Let me use this Earth Day 2023 to urge our communities to take advantage of the rains to rejuvenate badly damaged landscape. We are just coming from very serious drought that negatively impacted livelihoods,” she said.

She lauded several climate actions undertaken by the governments in the East and Horn of Africa. In Kenya for example, the government has launched a campaign to plant 15 billion trees over the next year while Uganda is in the process of decentralizing climate actions to the local authorities.

In Tanzania, the government plans to massively invest technology to improve water harvesting in bid to mitigate the effect of climate change.

The drought affected mostly areas inhabited by the pastoralists, areas that naturally receive below-average rains and poor pasture –leading to hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in search of water and pasture for their animals.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in its latest report of worse consequences if urgent actions, such as restoration of the earth’s capacity to sequester carbon are not taken to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 dedicated to raising awareness about environmental issues and promoting sustainable practices. The first Earth Day was held in 1970 and is now observed in more than 190 countries around the world.

According to the UN, the main purpose of Earth Day is to encourage people to take action to protect the planet and its natural resources.

“This can be achieved through various activities such as planting trees, cleaning up litter, and reducing energy consumption,” notes the UN. Earth Day events are also an opportunity for individuals and organizations to advocate for environmental policies and make a commitment to sustainability.

Earth Day has played an important role in raising public awareness about environmental issues, and has contributed to the establishment of laws and regulations aimed at protecting the environment. It is a reminder that we all have a role to play in preserving the planet for future generations.

Feature: Humanitarian Needs in Malawi and Mozambique Remain High Amid Cholera Outbreak

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IOM supports local authorities to relocate families affected by Cyclone Freddy to safe areas.

Communities in Mozambique and Malawi devastated by tropical cyclone Freddy continue to struggle in the face of an ongoing cholera outbreak due to the persistently high water levels and the destruction of homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods.

To meet the immediate requirements and promote long-lasting solutions in the two countries, where thousands of families remain without shelter, food, or reliable access to safe water and health services, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is calling for USD 10 million in Mozambique and US$4.7 million in Malawi.

“We are committed to continuing our support to the Governments of Malawi and Mozambique, but we need more resources and support from the international community to ensure that we can provide the necessary assistance for longer-term recovery,” said IOM Regional Director Ashraf El Nour after a recent visit to Malawi to assess the ongoing relief aid provided by IOM to internally displaced persons.

Freddy, which caused widespread destruction over five weeks in February and March, was the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded and the third deadliest recorded in the Southern Hemisphere.

In Malawi, the cyclone has affected more than 2.5 million people, displacing over 659,000 and claiming the lives of 676 people, according to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs.

As of April 2023, over 58,000 cases of cholera have been recorded. With schools re-opening, the Government is relocating internally displaced persons currently housed in schools, which has increased the demand for shelter.

In Mozambique, Freddy has caused significant damage and affected 1.1 million people across eight provinces. Currently, over 57,000 individuals remain displaced across 33 accommodation centres.

As of April 2023, nearly 26,000 cases of cholera have been recorded. IOM and community health activists are working to provide shelter, health-care services, and promote hygiene best practices, including cholera prevention techniques.

The destruction of infrastructure such as roads and bridges has also made it difficult for aid to reach those in need.  In partnership with other United Nations (UN) agencies, IOM has been providing immediate relief to communities affected by the cyclone. However, the needs are vast and investment in longer-term recovery of internally displaced households is needed.

To respond to the needs of those affected by the cyclone in Mozambique, and through support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Ireland, the United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, IOM has mobilized resources to provide emergency shelter, primary health-care services, mental health and psychosocial support, cholera vaccination, and other emergency relief items for affected areas in Mozambique.

Extreme weather hazards will occur more frequently due to climate change in the years ahead. The linkages between climate change, migration and health are becoming ever more pressing across the world.

To avert, mitigate and address displacement and health risks linked to climate disasters and strengthen people’s resilience, IOM calls on governments to implement sustainable climate adaptation, preparedness and disaster risk reduction measures. Source- IOM

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