Director of Support Services at Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd. (SML), Dr. Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, has disclosed that Ghana was losing as much as GHC4.6 billion in tax revenue before the intervention of her outfit.
She made this revelation during the UPSA National Dialogue on the theme Tackling Tax Revenue Leakages in Ghana.
Dr. Sarpong emphasized that the country’s revenue challenges are solvable locally, stating, “The solution to revenue leakages is doable right here in Ghana.”
Dr. Sarpong highlighted the practical steps taken by SML in collaboration with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to plug tax leakages, especially in the petroleum sector.
“We have deployed metering systems that measure the linear quantity of the product in the petroleum tanks, and at the same time, we’ve strategically positioned ultrasonic flow meters on the pipes where petroleum products leave the depot,” she explained.
According to her, this technology allows SML to “account for a single drop of petroleum product that leaves the depot.”
The results, she said, have been substantial. Before SML’s involvement, reported petroleum volumes were at 208 million litres per month, generating about GHS299 million monthly at a tax rate of GHS1.44 per litre.
“After SML,” she revealed, “we now track 450 million litres per month,” which translates into GHS648 million in monthly revenue – more than doubling the intake.
This leap, Dr. Sarpong noted, is a clear demonstration of how strategic technology and local capacity can transform revenue mobilisation in Ghana.
