GRA shuts down GLO and 2 others

By:brightwebtv.com/nana asare barimah

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has shut down telecom operator, GLO Mobile Ghana Ltd and two other companies over unpaid taxes.

The joint taskforce of Customs and Domestic Tax of the GRA put padlock at the telecom operator’s offices at the West Industrial area in Accra.

According to the distress warrant of the taskforce, GLO has failed to pay eleven million, eight hundred and eighty four thousand, three hundred and ninety six and eighty nine pesewas (Gh S 11, 884,396.89) in taxes since 10Th June, 2016 despite numerous reminders and cautions from the GRA.

This was disclosed when the GRA embarked on an exercise to close down companies that have defaulted in their tax obligation this morning.

Two other companies—Ohene Media and Kingsman Trading Company were closed down for owing GHS 367, 586.37 and GHS 4,201,656.58 respectively.

The Head of the Joint Task Force, Henry Bradford Sam speaking with the media after the exercise said the authority will clamp down on all companies flouting the GRA Act to rake in the needed revenue for national development.
He stated that the businesses that have been closed down were reminded by the authority on several occasions but to no avail.

“These businesses have being served with several notices to voluntarily disclose and pay their taxes, lawful taxes that they have collected from you and I, but they have failed to make good their indebtedness, and in conformity with section 83 of the Revenue Administration Act, the Commissioner General has exercised his mandate to collect and recover, the full amount due, in terms of this taxes, duties and penalties,” he said.
Mr. Sam stated that the companies were given about a year to discuss modalities of payment with the GRA but they refused.

“The time we have given them is between six months and one year. We just don’t get up and execute a distress order, we go through a process, we issue a demand notice, if the taxpayer fails to pay by the demand notice, we issue final demand notice, sometimes personal visits, all in an attempt to elicit voluntary compliance, but when these attempts fail then we crack the whip,” he stressed.

“We will resort to the relevant section of the law to exact payment of the taxes due from them,” he added.