GRA to clampdown on unregistered businesses

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Debt Management Team has asked qualified businesses that are not registered to do so with immediate effect to avoid any embarrassment.

The Team, in collaboration with other regional offices under the compliance activity are embarking on an education exercise to educate businesses on the need to register and to also know how those who have registered were complying with the tax laws.

The activity was aimed at enabling the Authority to shore up revenue.

The Team Leader, Compliance Activity, John Buabeng, briefing the media about the exercise, said revenue mobilisation is important as it played a key role in the development of the country.

He said the Authority is faced with challenges of some tax payers not registering even though they are qualified to do so per the tax law.

It also came out that those who have registered are not displaying their VAT certificates hence the need for the awareness exercise.

According to Mr. Buabeng in order to clamp down on offenders and to curb the act, a joint operation between officers of the GRA and law enforcement agencies is being carried out to take possession of and have access to business records of taxpayers who failed to issue VAT/NHIL invoices to customers.

Mr. Buabeng urged all businesses to file their tax returns, VAT returns, annual accounts, to avoid any harassment and to enable them pay their taxes appropriately.

The team which visited some shops along the Osu Oxford street warned that after the routine checks if businesses do not do due diligence, they will be dealt with by law.

The GRA appealed to customers who patronize taxable goods and services to always insist on VAT invoices on making purchases of goods and services subject to VAT and report any infraction of tax laws to the nearest GRA office for swift action to be taken.

The Chief Revenue Officer, Debt Management Compliance and Enforcement, Wisdom Xetor, also reiterated that revenue played a critical role in the development of every country and therefore this is to ensure that businesses are doing due diligence by paying their taxes.

He said if after the necessary processes to ensure business registration and compliance, and the businesses still invaded tax, they will face the full rigorous of the law.