GRA harassment: Abossey Okai spare parts dealers reschedule sit-down strike to November 1

The executives of the Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association in the Greater Accra Region have decided to reschedule their planned sit-down strike from October 18, 2023, to November 1, 2023, in response to alleged harassment by officials from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The GRA enforcement team has been deploying officers to the shops and warehouses of association members in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions due to the association's failure to implement the electronic tax collection system, which prevents the GRA from accessing their financial data.

The GRA introduced the Electronic VAT system on October 1, 2022, with the aim of curbing revenue leaks and verifying the actual income of businesses.

Mr Joseph Annan, the Accra Area Enforcement Manager, stated that enforcement has become necessary after multiple unsuccessful attempts to persuade the association members to comply with the law.

Mr Takyi Addo, the association's spokesperson, condemned the GRA's compliance exercise, calling it an affront to its members. He announced the rescheduling of the association's strike during an interview on the Citizen’s Show hosted by Nana Kwabena Bobie Ansah on Accra 100.5 FM on Monday, October 16, 2023.

Mr Addo explained that the strike, now rescheduled for November 1, is intended to express the association's displeasure with the GRA's compliance exercise, which is causing disruptions to its members' businesses across the country.

He noted that the decision was taken to reschedule the protest on the plea of the Police that it is inundated with activities such as the funeral of the late Queen-Mother of the Ga State.

He stressed that this decision was arrived at after a meeting with the Greater Accra Regional command of the Ghana Police Service on Monday, October 16, 2023.

Mr Addo pointed out that the exercise GRA's exercise portrays the members as illicit businesspeople, even though they are engaged in lawful activities.

''After the sit-down strike, the association intends to ban all GRA officials from entering its members' shops until the GRA issues an official statement to completely halt the exercise,'' he warned.

The association is not seeking the suspension of the exercise but its full termination, he noted.

Mr Addo emphasized that they want to convey that they are legitimate businesspeople and do not engage in illicit activities.