THE Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is putting in place some measures to shore up the revenue deficit as a result of the abolition of the COVID-19 levy.
The measures, which include enhanced tax compliance in key sectors, the expansion of audit coverage through professional firms, and the implementation of electronic fiscal devices for Value Added Tax (VAT) collection, are expected to help the authority meet its revised revenue targets for the year.
The Acting Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Anthony Sarpong, who said this at the 2026 PwC Post Budget forum in Accra on Wednesday, explained that compliance-driven and technology-based revenue measures would compensate for the removal of the one per cent COVID-19 levy, which would create a revenue gap of about GH¢3.7 billion in 2026.
He said although the government had committed to not introducing new taxes, it was leveraging enhanced tax enforcement and digital reforms to boost collections.
"Government policy has been deliberate that we are not introducing new taxes. At the same time, taxes that businesses believe must go off are going.”
“So yes, the COVID-19 levy is gone, but there are measures that will ensure the revenues come in," he said.
Key measures
He explained that GRA has intensified compliance activities in specific sectors, beginning with the steel industry, where more than 100 companies were operating across the value chain.
“We have started compliance on certain sectors, for example, in the steel industry. We have done a lot of compliance work on the manufacturers, and we will be running these efforts across industries,” he said.
To widen audit coverage from 2026, GRA would collaborate with accounting and tax firms such as PwC to support compliance reviews beyond what its internal audit teams were currently handling.
“Our coverage is low based on assessment. We are going to work with tax professional firms to expand the coverage of compliance. When we do that, we believe revenue will grow,” he said, adding that OECD benchmarks show such measures could raise tax revenue by 15-20 per cent.
He said a major plank of the new reforms was the long-delayed implementation of the Fiscal Electronic Devices Act, passed in 2018 but yet to be operationalised.
Mr Sarpong said the technology would ensure that VAT issuance by retailers was captured electronically in real time.
“Every VAT transaction will have a mirror copy sent to GRA. The procurement process has started, and we believe that by the second half of 2026, it will come upstream. That will be a big change,” he stated.
He added that in its second phase, the system would also channel VAT payments directly into government accounts, eliminating the current 30-day settlement period.
Sustaining revenue
The acting Commissioner said initial pilot compliance efforts were already yielding positive results, demonstrating confidence that the combined measures would plug revenue gaps without burdening businesses with additional taxes.
The removal of nuisance taxes such as the betting tax and now the COVID-19 levy, he stressed, was being matched with equally strong structural reforms to ensure sustainable mobilisation.
Fair balance
The Country Senior Partner at PwC Ghana, Vish Ashiagbor, commended the government for the fiscal plan, which showed clear intent to consolidate gains made over the past year, while maintaining focus on revenue mobilisation and prudent expenditure.
“Overall, I would describe the 2026 Budget as satisfactory. It provides a fair balance between stabilising the economy and supporting growth", he said.
He said although challenges remained, particularly in driving compliance and widening the tax net, the budget outlined key interventions that, if effectively implemented, could strengthen the economic recovery process.
Therefore, Mr Ashiagbor called on the government to stay committed to its stated priorities to ensure the country fully benefits from the policy direction.
“People are generally pleased with what they are hearing from the budget. For example, the priorities the Minister laid out, stability, consolidating economic gains, growth, security, and social intervention, are appreciated as steps in the right direction.
“As you may have heard, the slight question mark is around implementation. As a country, we are good at documenting plans, but delivery has often been a challenge. However, there is renewed optimism that this time we will put real energy into implementation to ensure we all derive the benefits,” he stated.