The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has cautioned importers to ensure that the right tax stamps are affixed to the right products.
Besides cautioning, the GRA also took the opportunity to educate importers on the essence of its tax stamp authenticator mobile application (app) to help check the authenticity of imported products.
The mobile app also ensures that the right tax stamps are affixed to the right products to prevent importers from underpaying their tax.
Speaking to the media after a tour, Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Excise Unit at GRA, Kwabena Apau Anto said that per what they had seen on their rounds, importers were not affixing the right stamps to products according to volume, noting “there are situations where people apply for stamps to be placed on 250ml bottled products and you find them on 1000 litres products. That’s an infraction of the law because it’ll make importers not pay the right tax”.
He urged Ghanaians to act as informants when they see products without tax stamps, adding “importers should endeavour to download the mobile app to ensure that the products have genuine stamps and help us check the authenticity of the stamps to protect the country’s revenue. Anyone who sees products without the stamps can call 020-821-9850”.
Mr Anto Apau noted that importers should ensure their products are affixed with tax stamps at the country’s entry points.
GRA officials made stopovers at shops to check the authenticity of the tax stamps affixed on products.
Maku Ventures Warehouse at Lebanon House
At the time of arrival at Maku Ventures Warehouse at Lebanon House, carbonated drinks, fruit juice, wine, bottled water, beer and so on were being arranged at the warehouse.
Upon checks, GRA officials realised that most of the taxable products didn’t have the stamps affixed on them.
When Hayford Boadun was contacted on why his products did not have the tax stamps, he indicated that, “I didn’t intentionally import the products without tax stamps. It came today so I just arrived to check whether there are stamps on them or not”.
Fourteen cartons of Red Bull, four cartons of Candy Dry, 57 cartons of Coca-Cola zero sugar and two cartons of Beckers Pills were seized for not having the stamps on them and others for not affixing the right tax stamps.
Margnice Ventures at Okaishie
When the team arrived at Margnice Ventures at Okaishie, which deals beverages and wine, the shop attendant was busily attending to a client.
Upon checks, the officials noticed that there were misplacement of the tax stamps. They confiscated the items.
Mr Anto Apau therefore urged the attendant to download the mobile app to check the minor infraction.
Source: The Finder
