GRA storms Kempinski, Movenpick to seize products without tax stamps

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has stormed Kempinski and Movenpick Ambassador Hotel to seize cartons of bottled spirits and wines which had no tax stamps affixed on them.

During an inspection exercise by the GRA, it was realised majority of the products at the bar and storeroom of the hotels had no tax stamps.

GRA has warned retailers, shop owners and Ghanaians to stop buying and displaying items that have no tax stamps on them.

The Excise Tax Stamp Act, 2013 (ACT 873) was passed by Parliament in December 2013 with the aim of helping the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) enforce the Excise Tax Stamp policy on specific excisable goods before they are delivered ex-factory, cleared from any port or presented for sale at any commercial level in Ghana.

The ACT subsequently received presidential assent in January 2014. The Excise Tax Stamp Act is definitely not an introduction of a new tax. It rather requires that Excise Tax Stamps with traceable and security-enhanced features on specified excisable commodities in order to serve as preliminary evidence of the payment of the required duties and taxes and to provide an audit trail for tracing importers and manufacturers of counterfeited goods.

Excisable Products expected to be affixed with the stamps include Cigarette and other Tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic and carbonated beverages, bottled water, textiles and other goods determined by the Minister of Finance.

The enforcement of the Act started at the ports on January 1, 2018, and the points of sale on March 1, 2018, with a special task force commencing the first phase of an enforcement exercise in Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi.