Dancehall musician, Shatta Wale, has bemoaned the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) habit of chasing musicians including himself for tax when the Ghanaian system makes it difficult for artists to thrive.
Shatta Wale stated while disclosing that GRA claims he owes about GH¢9 billion in tax.
He revealed that according to the GRA, the tax debts had accrued since his early days when he had not even transitioned from Bandana to the ‘now wealthy’ Shatta Wale.
Shatta Wale, who is furious about the development, wondered why the government taxed artists who are offered no support for their businesses.
“I’ve been paying for my Google map service for over three years, I pay $8,000, $7,000 and nobody is paying attention to it but ever since they heard that Shaxi is in business, GRA, and co, have been chasing me with tax. Where were they when I was struggling? I have been paying taxes for music that I had not even made money from. GRA is taxing me for my music, they say I owe about GH¢9 billion, backdated to the Bandana era when I didn’t even make money from my music,” Shatta Wale fumed.
The dancehall artist further stressed that if the country had a better music royalty system, paying taxes and other financial commitments would not have been a problem for artists.
“With all these things happening, when I talk about the royalty system, nobody supports me, and it’s sad. Sometimes, I feel like we are too scared to fight the problem and that is why I am vocal. I keep saying that if the government had done certain things for musicians, we would have been paying tax,” he further added.
Shatta Wale Bemoans The Nature Of Ghanaians
Shatta Wale bemoaned the nature of Ghanaians, entirely focusing on governments to better their lives and blaming leaders for the poor living standards in the country.
The Shatta Wale Movement boss stated that since he started witnessing and following politics, no better relationship existed between any government and its citizens.
According to him, this is because citizens expect so much from governments.
Shatta Wale noted that even if the various governments are combined to rule the country, citizens will still be unsatisfied with their performance.
In this regard, he mentioned that the only way Ghanaians can experience a better life is when they pursue their success rather than centering all their hopes on the government.
“If you have been hungry before, you will know how to look for the success of your own life. You won’t pretend. The whole system is just pretending, including the citizens and that is why we have Presidents coming in and telling us things they cannot do and we just sit and watch them,” Shatta Wale said.
“When Mahama was in power, I was watching people say he wasn’t doing anything. Now that Akuffo-Addo is also in power, They are saying the same thing. I always say this, and I once said it in my song that bring Bawumia, Akuffo-Addo, and Mahama together to rule the country and people will still say they aren’t doing anything,” he emphasized.
Shatta Wale, who claimed to have been seeking answers from God about the happenings in the country, disclosed what he was once told.
“One day, I was seeking answers from God about how the country is turning, and He told me that we have to step on our toes to solve the problem. He said, currently, everyone is suffering, and we have to step on our toes to solve the problem,” he stated.
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