The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ms. Julie Essiam, has resigned.
In a letter dated January 20, 2024, addressed to President John Mahama, through the Finance Minister-designate, she expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the role.
“With the greatest depth of gratitude, after five and a half years of an incredible career at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), I write to resign from my position as the Commissioner-General of the Authority, with immediate effect,” the letter stated.
Ms. Essiam was appointed on March 24, 2024, by former President Akufo-Addo, serving less than a year as Commissioner-General.
Prior to this, she led the GRA’s Support Services Division.
During her tenure, the GRA achieved a revenue performance of GH₵152.977 billion for the 2024 fiscal year, surpassing its target of GH₵145.998 billion by GH₵6.978 billion—a 4.8% increase.
This brought the GRA’s tax-to-GDP ratio to 17.0%, exceeding the target of 16.1%, and represented a nominal growth of 35.3% compared to 2023.
Despite this success, Ms. Essiam highlighted the need for further transformation within the GRA to optimise revenue mobilisation.
She emphasised the urgency of implementing the IMF structural benchmarks, including the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS) for the Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD), and sustaining the ongoing Taxpayer Data Cleansing initiative.
“These opportunities for transformation are critical for the authority’s growth. I have outlined all of this in my report to be shared with the Honourable Finance Minister-designate,” she noted.
Ms. Essiam concluded by describing her time at the GRA as “an honour and a privilege” to serve the nation in such a capacity.