Traders busted over tax fraud

Three traders who deal in building and construction materials in the Greater Accra Region, were yesterday arrested by officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Anti-Fraud Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for alleged tax fraud.

The suspects are Herbert Totimeh, a Sales Agent at the Dawhenya branch of K. Ofori Enterprises Limited, Kwasi Agyemang, a Sales Agent at the Pokuasi branch of Nana K. Gyasi Company Limited and Samilia Opoku, manager of Eno Afansor Company Limited located at Awoshie.

They allegedly failed to issue Value Added Tax (VAT) receipts to people who bought iron rods, steel, cements, among others, on several occasions, thereby evading tax and causing huge financial loss to the state.

The arrests, which took place separately at the respective locations followed investigations conducted into the suspects’ activities by GRA.

The Authority received several complaints from members of the general public that the suspects and several other registered traders in the country, including professionals like lawyers were executing contracts and issuing their own invoice.

Detective Chief Inspector Charles Adaba confirmed the arrests to BUSINESS GUIDE.

Narrating events leading to the arrest at a press briefing, Head of Debt Management and Compliance Enforcement Unit at GRA, Dr. Dela Heloo, said the exercise took place after members of the public who purchased items from various registered traders across the country without VAT receipts, lodged complaints with the Authority.

He said it was established that the suspects and several other traders across the country were not issuing the VAT receipts given to them by GRA.

Dr Heloo told BUSINESS GUIDE that, in some instances, the traders used carbonated papers to under invoice the cash amounts captured on the VAT receipts.

He therefore warned traders to desist from such nefarious activities and admonished members of the general public to report recalcitrant traders to the relevant authorities.