Regional VAT office creates enforcement unit

Kumasi, May 6, GNA--The Ashanti Regional office of the VAT Service has created a unit to enforce the registration of all qualified traders in the region with the VAT Service.

The creation of the unit followed the refusal of the qualified traders under the VAT, to register since the re-introduction of the new tax system in December, 1998. Mr Akwasi Tweneboa-Koduah, Ashanti Regional Head of the VAT Service announced this when he briefed the press in Kumasi on Friday, on steps being taken to register more qualified traders who have dodged payment of the tax.

Mr Tweneboa-Koduah said since its creation, the unit has been going out to educate traders to register and that the response so far has been encouraging and that 2,720 traders have been registered. He warned, however, that if the service realises that a trader qualifies to register but has intentionally failed to do so, the VAT Service would slap a penalty of 10 per cent on his or her annual turnover.

He said the Service will continue to educate traders adding that the exercise will be extended to the district capitals as soon as possible and asked for public to Cupertino.

On Friday, three teams undertook the exercise at Adum, the business centre of Kumasi, and Suame, the industrial hub for artisans, to educate and register qualified traders.

Mr Baba Adraman, a trader, complained that those who were registered with the VAT were losing revenue because of the extra service tax on their wares.