The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), in an effort to enforce compliance and increase tax collection for national development, has arrested 32 defaulting companies and enterprises since May, this year.
The number includes six businesses that were arrested yesterday at Ashiaman, Tema and Dawhenya, all in the Greater Accra region.
They are; Happy Stores, New World Enterprise and Eagle Ventures, Jiajala Super Market, Jia hua and Tika Mall.
Five of the entities arrested deal in consumables and the other in building materials.
Briefing the media after a day-long enforcement exercise, Head of Accra Central Enforcement Unit of GRA, Joseph Annan, said the companies would be processed for court.
According to him, the companies have offended the law by not issuing VAT invoices or receipts sanctioned by the Commissioner-General.
He added that defaulting companies were discovered through a test purchase exercise conducted by the Authority’s officers.
Mr Annan indicated that the exercise is being done by all the area offices in Accra and he is just coordinating so that all hands will be brought on deck.
The Head of Enforcement added that the exercise is not affecting certain segments of the business community because of their size, saying “GRA also considers the size of the business.”
According to him, businesses that are not registered at all would face worse sanctions than those registered, but not complying with the Authority’s directives.
Mr Annan stated that: “Our audit will take you back to when you were supposed to have registered and you failed to do so.
“When you are supposed to register in 2021 and you failed to do so and we get you, we will go back to 2021 and if there are any interests and penalties to be applied, we will apply it.”
