The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) arrested three people for non-issuance of the Value Added Tax (VAT) invoice for registered VAT businesses and other irregularities.
The arrests form part of an ongoing exercise by the Authority the National Invoice Invigilation Exercise.
The exercise is aimed at, among others, fishing out businesses which fail to issue the VAT invoice after sales.
“The authority has stepped up its game in arresting tax defaulters. We had to send our officials to various companies to purchase their services. Upon thorough investigation we had to arrest them for non-issuance of VAT invoice” Head of Enforcement Management, GRA Accra Central, Joseph Annan said.
The arrested culprits are workers at Champion Dishes in Adabraka, Grace Has Found Us, and Celebs Non-Alcoholic Drinks in Dansoman.
GRA officials seized a laptop, receipts, and other documentation at Champion Dishes in Adabraka to aid in the investigation process.
According to the authority, the defaulters have violated the Value Added Tax Act, 2013 (Act 870) and were therefore handed over to the Ghana Police Service for investigation.
“As Tax administrators, we will also access them and apply all the penalties and interest that are applicable to serve as a deterrent to other companies violating the acts,” Mr Annan said.
Mr. Annan further stated that the GRA would perform a thorough assessment of the document and other gadgets retrieved from the companies and also recommend full audits to investigate whether they are engaged in other tax irregularities.
Source: theGhanaianVoice.Com