GRA gets tough on entities for tax evasion, avoidance 

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VAT regulations
  • one local, two Chinese firms  in the net

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has conducted a swoop on three companies for non-compliance and infractions against VAT regulations, with two of the companies being Chinese firms and the other a local one. 

 

The two Chinese entities are Zengsi Investment Company and Hua Feng Trading Company, and the De ICON event centre is a Ghanaian-owned state-of-the-art facility in East Legon. 

 

Speaking to the B&FT during a mystery shopping activity in Accra, Area Enforcement Manager of GRA in charge of Accra Central, Joseph Annan, said the two Chinese enterprises have clearly violated regulations of the VAT; and as such have had their owners arrested.

 

“These entities have printed their own invoices and are issuing, even though they have the VAT receipt in their locker,” he confirmed. 

 

He said the mystery shopping exercise by the GRA is part of an ongoing VAT invigilation activity that is meant to boost compliance among registered businesses.

 

The owners of the Chinese shop indicated to B&FT that costumers do not want to take the VAT receipt when issued. But Mr. Annan said the decision to circumvent the issuance of VAT amounts to tax suppression. 

 

At DE ICON event centre at East Legon, it was gathered that the facility has been operating since December last year but is yet to register with the GRA to honour its tax obligations. 

 

An officer at the Debt Management Compliance & Enforcement Unit of the GRA, Nathaniel Tetteh, told newsmen that the De ICON event centre will pay its VAT arrears after an investigation is done to ascertain how much sales have been made since the facility began operations. 

 

The facility was temporarily closed by the Authority, with its management asked to register with the GRA before an official opening to the public.

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