GRA to descend on event centers, pubs evading taxes during Christmas

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has indicated it will descend on the hospitality industry during the festive season to clamp down on all event centers, pubs, restaurants and cinemas operating unlawfully.

This came to light after the enforcement team of the GRA embarked on an exercise to seize and invite owners of some nine shops operating in the Achimota Mall in the Greater Accra region for non-registration of company as well as invoicing infractions.

The Head of Enforcement Unit at the GRA, Accra-Central, Joseph Annan, told Joy Business some businesses operating in the mall complied with the laws of the GRA while others disregarded the tax laws.

“We took our search to the Achimota Mall. We visited a number of shops. We are impressed that a number of them are issuing the VAT invoice. However, we still got about nine of them who are either not registered at all or are registered but are doing selective issuance of the invoice”.

Mr. Annan however stated that the enforcement team will embark on a special exercise during the Christmas season by focusing its lenses on the hospitality industry to arrest tax evaders.

“Our officers are already on the field and they are visiting all the event centers. In fact, we have started, and we are hoping to visit as much as many places we can before the year ends”.

“I want to tell the event centers, the pubs, the restaurants, the hotels. Please don’t wait for us to come because I believe it’s quite embarrassing when we come with the cameras and you are being shown to the entire world”, he added.

He, however disclosed that the move is geared towards meeting the revenue target for the year.

“We have seen some good improvement in VAT and other tax types .Compliance tools that is being used like the invoice invigilation and all the other compliance tools that the GRA is using are yielding results”.