The Accra Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) stormed some businesses at the Anyaa and Ablekuma market to check the compliance of these businesses according to the Tax laws in the country.
This compliance exercise which took place on Tuesday, known as test purchase, is part of a grand revenue mobilisation exercise the GRA is embarking on to shore up Value Added Tax (VAT). Same was done earlier this year when some managers were picked up.
The common offences for which these businesses were picked up include, selective issuance of VAT, some were not registered with the GRA, others claimed they did not keep records of sales and purchases. A few of them were issuing electronic invoices without authorisation from the GRA.
VKJ Trading, Fremango Enterprise, Mola Enterprise, Delcam FB. Stationary Limited, ABI Ventures, Jomolet Enterprise, Yamiz Enterprise were picked up at the Anyaa market. Tiwalet Wholesale, Briggle Enterprise, and Kelon Mall.
“The process will be followed, all of them; their statements will be taken by the CID and we will also go ahead and assess them preemptively. We will recommend them for full audit, and our legal unit will also look at the cases and see which one should go to court”, said Mr Joseph Annan, Manager of Enforcement Unit; Accra Division of the GRA.
He added that the exercise does not end with this “We are not ending with just test purchase, all those that we have visited in the past, we are going back to them. We want to be sure that they are compliant, and also they are compliant but not for VAT alone, but all other taxes that are applicable to their businesses”.
Mr. Joseph Annan in his statement mentioned that he ‘hoped all these businesses were compliant’ and that if they were not; the businesses will be considered as delinquent taxpayers and that will call for more forceful tactics.
Almost all of the businesses claimed they were not aware that they had to issue VAT to their customers, except for a few.
Manageress of Kelon Mall, at Ablekuma, claimed the company had written to the GRA to permit their business use its electronic invoice system, but they had followed up several times to no avail. Yet the counter argument which followed suggested that the business should have used the manual Tax invoice issued to them by the GRA.
That of Yamize Enterprise, at Anyaa market, claimed she was ignorant about issuing VAT to customers.
In response, the Enforcement Manager added that “with my experience as an administrator, many taxpayers when you go to them they tell you they don’t know. Places we have been before, when you go they tell you they are not aware”.
However, the GRA believes that the exercise in itself is an educational one which will draw the attention of many to comply with the tax laws there are for businesses.
“For us, even what we are doing is also part of education. Because somebody sits somewhere and listens to us and wants to know whether they have to register or not. The education will never stop, we will continue and continue. Businesses will continue to come up and old ones may fold. But you will always find people who say they are not aware”.
Mr. Annan has cautioned that “we are not being selective, we are doing random test purchases. This is not a sectorial kind of approach. But we can even move into industry, manufacturing, or quarry at any time. So we are not being selective.
