By Ghana News 
Running a registered business in Ghana can feel like running a race with heavy stones tied to your legs. While you struggle to pay every single tax, others bypass the system completely. That frustrating reality leaves honest business owners wondering why compliance feels like punishment.
The Food and Beverages Association of Ghana is finally speaking up against this unfair setup. During the recent pre-annual international tax conference webinar, Executive Chairman John Awuni highlighted this deep pain. He pointed out that formal businesses face heavy regulatory costs that informal competitors completely ignore.
Think about standard restaurants and hotels that pay full taxes and licensing fees every year. Their prices naturally end up higher than informal operators working from kiosks without any tax burden. Customers naturally rush to the cheaper option, leaving law abiding owners struggling to survive.
Mr Awuni argues that paying taxes should come with solid state protection from such unfair competition. If the state forces you to formalize your operations, it must shield you from those dodging the system. Merely chasing compliant businesses for revenue while ignoring informal operators makes no logical sense.
State institutions like the Ghana Revenue Authority must work together to bring every trader into the tax net. When compliance brings clear benefits and security, more people will willingly register their businesses. Protecting honest enterprises ensures a fairer market where everyone contributes their fair share to national development.
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