A Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) task force has arrested five managers of a shopping mall on Spintex Road in Accra for allegedly evading taxes in the electronic Value Added Tax (VAT) system.
The companies are China Mall, Sneda Shopping Mall, and Fresh First Limited, which were found not to issue e-VAT while Palace Mall and Shoprite at Junction Mall were blamed for issuing receipts with duplicate signatures from the Commissioner General of Ghana. Revenue authorities.
The manager was sent to the Customs office at headquarters to give a statement before being handed over to the Police Criminal Investigation Department.
The initiative is part of a national VAT surveillance exercise to ensure tax compliance and collect tax due from the State.
The Commissioner in charge of the Domestic Tax Revenue Division in the GRA, Mr. Edward Appenteng Gyamerah said that the GRA found that some taxpayers were issuing bills that were not certified by the Commissioner General as required by law.
He said under section 41 of the VAT Act 2013, (Act 870) as amended by Act 1082 and Act 1087, every registered VAT taxpayer must issue an electronic VAT invoice with details provided by the Commissioner General when provide services or goods provided.
The investigation, he said, found that some taxpayers were involved in issuing false tax invoices or sales receipts, while others failed to integrate the certified billing system into the GRA Commissioner General’s invoicing system.
Mr. Gyamerah stated that the penalty for the offense as provided under the VAT Act includes a fine not exceeding one hundred penalty units or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both, in addition to the payment of a fine not exceeding GH¢50,000 or three times the amount of tax involved.
He said those who violate the law can also be prosecuted under sections 78 and 82 of the Revenue Administration Act, 2016 (Act 915) which focuses on failure to comply with tax laws and obstructing tax administration.
Source: graphic.com.gh
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