Ghana card PIN replaces TIN number today
Beginning today, April 1, 2021, the Ghana card Personal Identification Number (Ghana card PIN) will replace the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is expected to use the Ghana card PIN for all tax identification purposes subsequently.
“This change is in line with Government’s policy on the use of a unique identifier for all transactions where the identification of an individual is required,” a joint statement by the three institutions said.
To ensure a seamless roll-out of this initiative, several measures have been taken including the station of NIA registration officials at fourteen (14) GRA offices across the country to register individuals who do not possess a Ghana card.
The Registration officials will be at the following GRA/RGD offices:
- TIN Centre, Registrar-General’s Department, Accra
- TIN Centre, Customs Long Room, Tema
iii. Taxpayer Service Centre, Spintex Road
- Taxpayer Service Centre, Adabraka
- Taxpayer Service Centre 1, Tema
- Taxpayer Service Centre, Koforidua
vii. Taxpayer Service Centre, Cape Coast
viii. Taxpayer Service Centre, Takoradi
- Taxpayer Service Centre, Asokwa
- Taxpayer Service Centre, Sunyani
- Taxpayer Service Centre, Ho
xii. Taxpayer Service Centre, Bolgatanga
xiii. Taxpayer Service Centre, Wa
The number of registration officials of the National Identification Authority (NIA) will be expanded to 63 other GRA locations to serve all taxpayers.
There will be a grace period for up to December 31, 2021, where both the TIN and Ghana Card PIN may be used simultaneously as the unique number for tax identification purposes.
“After this period, it is expected that all existing TINs will be replaced with the Ghana Card PIN,” the release stressed.
To facilitate the processes, a self-service portal has also been made available on the GRA website (www.gra.gov.gh) for existing taxpayers who have registered and have been issued with Ghana card to link their Ghana card PIN to their TIN.
Consequently, any taxpayer with a Ghana card must present it at any GRA office to be registered as a taxpayer.
The Ghana card PIN is to be quoted on the documentation for transactions such as the filing of returns, payment of taxes, clearing of goods, registering of businesses.
President Akufo-Addo had announced the changes in his first State of the Nation Address (SoNA) in March 2021.
“All national Identification Numbers will become Tax Identification Numbers, in so doing, the number of people registered by GRA for tax purposes will increase from the current 3million to 15.5million,” he told parliament.
The president hinted that by the second quarter of this year all National ID numbers will be SSNIT numbers.
He said SSNIT numbers, TIN, NHIS and DVLA details of individual will be linked to their sim cards, bank accounts, birth and death registry and passports stressing that digitalising the economy is a focal point of his administration.
” Mr Speaker for the first time, through the implementation of the Digital Property Addressing System, every location in Ghana has a digital address. The process of affixing unique property address plates for 7.5 million properties in all 16 regions has all started”
“To make it easy to obtain government services a portal, Ghana.Gov has been established where all MMDAs are being taken on board…it is a one-stop-shop where anyone can apply and pay for government services”
Government’s quest to have a sole source of identification for persons accessing public services gave rise to the conception of the Ghana Card.
As of October 1, 2020, the National Identification Authority had issued 13,848,697 Ghana cards.
The total enrolment is made up of 8,268,429 females and 7,280,813 males.
The top five regions with the largest enrolment of people above 15 years are Ashanti, 3,016,319; Greater Accra, 2,970,391; Eastern, 1,670,262; Central, 1,670,262, and Western, 1,175,058.