Health Minister to kick against TIN for Health Insurance

Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, has hinted that he will kick against the compulsory inclusion of the Tax Identification Number (TIN) for the acquisition of National Health Insurance (NHIS) card.
According to him, the vulnerable in the rural areas who will not have access to register for the TIN number will be affected.
“What will my old mother at a remote village in the Brong Ahafo region need a TIN number for? I will kick against it as a criterion for the acquisition of NHIS cards”, he stated on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Monday.
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The TIN is an eleven digit identification of taxpayers introduced by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to ensure tax compliance.
The GRA believes the unique ID numbers will allow proper monitoring and broaden the tax net to cater for those formally outside the tax net.
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Over one million TIN numbers have already been issued so far, and the GRA expects many more individuals to get registered, with the collaboration of all partner agencies.
But this has generated a lot of controversy due to the low public education. The issue has even become murkier after many prospective NHIS subscribers were turned away for not having TIN numbers.
Reacting to the issue on Dwaso Nsem, the Health Minister expressed shock at the development.
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He explained that, the GRA have not informed them about their inclusion of NHIS subscribers thus finds it strange many have been affected.
Conceding that, the TIN will enhance revenue generation by ensuring that all potential taxpayers are captured, the state will lose nothing if NHIS subscribers are excluded.
Hon. Agyemang Manu said as a matter of urgency, he will meet with the Commissioner of the GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, for an amicable solution to the problem.