The Special Revenue Taskforce of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) last week, clamped down on mobile phones sellers, who do not charge Value Added Tax (VAT) in accordance with the law.
According to the officials of the taskforce, the levying distress section 34 sub-section 2 of the VAT Act 1998; Act 546 mandates service providers in the mobile phone selling industry to issue VAT receipts to customers.
It on this premise the taskforce last Thursday June, 15 closed down the following: mobile phone shops notable among them are Franko Trading, Planet Telcom, Nana APraku, Ricamp Phones including others at the Tip-Toe lane, the hub of sale of communications gadgets in Accra.
Speaking after closure of the shops for non-payment of VAT, Theophilus Gaskin, the Chief Revenue Officer at GRA and a member of the taskforce said under section 62 of the VAT Act is an offence to obstruct officers of the GRA in the performance of their duties.
He made this comment at the Tip-Lane when members believed to belong to the association of Ghana Mobile Phone Traders Association and Ghana Union Traders Association tried to obstruct the officials of the taskforce from doing their job.
Briefing the media on the tax situation of the country, Mr. Gaskin said even though the erratic power known as dumsor impeded the authority’s revenues performance, the authority has been informed the contractors have been paid by the government but they are relent on honouring their tax obligations.
He said in spite of these when the taskforce injected some dynamism into the collection of tax, the authority exceeded its targets in terms of tax collection in the country.
The GRA in collaboration with the taskforce mobilized over one hundred million Ghana Cedis in 2015.
He explained this created a solid foundation for the tax efficiency in the country since exercise started in February last year.
According to him, the taskforce has strengthened the collection of taxes from defaulters since the inception of the exercise.
Meanwhile, thetaskforce further visited some printing organizationsthat have been allocated government contracts and have defaulted in paying their taxes to the state.
The companies are Mork-Impressions at Mamprobi, which handles the printing of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital receipts, as well as Korle-Bu Polyclinic and owes the authority in excess of one hundred and one Ghana Cedis, eighty Pesewas by way of penalty and interest.
Skyco printing limited at Adabraka opposite Champion Fast Foods, which also handles the printing of ADB bank’s pay –in slips was also not spared as they owe a whopping sum of 6, 250 .000 for the year 2014.
The Herald learnt that in this situation, the authority by law is mandate under the Act to sell properties of the said debtors wherever they may be found and others held in trust for the company to defray the cost.
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