Tema Oil Refinery Company Limited (TOR) has denied defrauding the state of $2,354.048 through an alleged evasion of tax payment on the use of Custom Bonded warehouses.
Reports in the media indicated that a presidential task force allegedly uncovered a massive tax fraud perpetrated by 280 private and public companies amounting to $367 million from 2005 and 2012 of which TOR was indicted.
Even though TOR was cited as one of the major state agencies involved in the alleged tax evasion, Mrs Aba Lokko, Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the refinery refuted the claim.
Mrs Lokko told the Ghana News Agency, at the weekend that checks by her outfit at the said warehouses revealed that TOR does not owe the state the alleged amount.
She expressed surprise at the report, noting that nobody from the task force contacted the refinery to cross check the alleged fraud.
“We are surprise about the report since nobody from the taskforce contacted TOR on the subject,” she stressed.
She gave the assurance that TOR believes in the payment of taxes and has discharged its tax obligations accordingly.
The TOR PRO indicated that management has written to the Chief of Staff to seek clarification on the issue.
TOR, she said, is prepared to cooperate and participate in any process by the office of the Chief of Staff to unravel the said audit report.
