Ghanaian playwright and CEO of Image Bureau, George Quaye, has revealed that he had to pay a sum of GH¢60,000 in taxes while his outfit went home with just GH¢4,000 in profits from the first showing of his latest stage production of “The Gods are not to Blame”.
Revealing this during a live studio discussion on Hitz FM on December 13, George Quaye said the government was the biggest winner from the night due to the large sum it took from the showings.
He said that even though he knows the importance of paying taxes, he wished that there was more transparency in the use of tax revenues by the government and would be happier knowing that his taxes are used to enhance the infrastructure of public buildings like the National Theatre that directly benefit the public.
“After putting up ‘The Gods Are Not to Blame’, I was looking at the taxes that we have to pay as compared to the other expenses. The biggest beneficiary was the government. And you know the taxes; they take it straight at the door. After everything, we paid a tax of almost GH¢60,000. Meanwhile, our profit as Image Bureau was GH¢4,000.
“I have no problem, but I would be happy to pay taxes if I entered the venue where the play was hosted, the National Theatre and the air conditioning was working, the washrooms were tidy, the seats were comfortable and I could see that that was what the government did with our taxes. I would be happier,” he said.
The play was performed on December 2 and 3, featuring two shows each day at 4 pm and 8 pm.
Meanwhile, it is expected to be staged again on December 18, 19 and 20.
Source: ghanaweb.com
