A group of concerned Ghanaian citizens known as the Concerned Citizens of Ghana is demanding the immediate removal of Rev. Dr. Ammish-Addai Owusu-Amoah, the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and Mrs. Julian Essiam, a Revenue Generation Officer, from their positions. The group alleges that both individuals are occupying their positions illegally. During a press conference held on Tuesday, the group argued that Rev. Owusu-Amoah, who is considered to be over the retirement age, has been unlawfully occupying his position as his contract with the GRA has expired. Despite petitioning the appropriate authorities for his removal and following the proper procedures, Rev. Owusu-Amoah has remained in office. The Concerned Citizens of Ghana expressed their disappointment that almost two years have passed since Rev. Dr. Ammish-Addai’s contract extension expired in 2021, yet he continues to hold his position. This situation has financial implications for the country and places a burden on taxpayers due to the extended contract and its associated benefits, particularly in the current economic climate. The persistent silence on these matters fuels our suspicion that something untoward may be occurring between the government and the GRA Boss, potentially to the detriment of the entire nation. We call for transparency and accountability in addressing these concerns to safeguard the integrity of our institutions and maintain public trust. Additionally, our background checks reveal that both Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai and Ms. Julian Essiam, have chosen to stay in office beyond the age of 60, despite their contracts being renewed until 2021. This brings into question the adherence to established retirement policies within the GRA,” the group said in its release The group therefore wants him relieved of his post immediately. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0256336062
GRA has not accessed any US$75 million loan from any bank–GRA
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has denied claims made by Bolgatanga Central MP Isaac Adongo that it accessed a US$75-million loan from a bank without parliament’s approval. In a statement, the GRA clarified that it had intended to secure a loan in 2022 for a capital expenditure project and had sought a “no objection” from the Minister of Finance. However, after further discussion, the GRA decided not to proceed with accessing the loan and did not present the matter to parliament. The GRA categorically stated that it has not accessed any US$75-million loan from any bank, as claimed by the MP. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0256336062
MTN Ghana disputes $773m tax liability imposed by GRA
MTN Ghana is strongly disputing an alleged tax infringement placed on the company by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) between 2014 and 2018. According to the leading telecom firm, it is a tax-compliant corporate citizen and the tax liability notice of GH¢8,209,603,842.14 (US$773 million) issued against it by the GRA is unacceptable. The assessment of ¢8,209,603,842.14 includes penalties and interest charges. “In this regard, from the base component of the assessment (that is, excluding penalties and interest), on MTN Ghana’s analysis, the GRA infers that MTN Ghana under declared its revenue by more than approximately 30% over the 5-year period 2014 to 2018”, it said in a statement. “The GRA audited MTN Ghana for the period 2014-2018, using a third-party consultant as well as a new methodology based on call data records (CDR), recharges, and other data. MTN Ghana strongly disputes the accuracy and basis of the Assessment, including the methodology used in conducting the audit. MTN Ghana believes that taxes due have been paid during the period under assessment”, it explained. MTN Ghana believed the taxes due have been paid during the period under assessment. The statement further said MTN Group and MTN Ghana will continue to engage with the relevant authorities on this matter and MTN remains resolute that MTN Ghana is a tax compliant corporate citizen. Again, it said MTN Ghana would like to further assure its shareholders and other stakeholders that MTN Ghana is a responsible business with an absolute commitment to transparency, good corporate governance, and compliance. MTN Ghana one of largest taxpayers in Ghana MTN Ghana is one of the largest private sector taxpayers in Ghana, having been recognized on numerous occasions for its support of the GRA’s revenue mobilization efforts. The GRA has also satisfactorily concluded multiple tax assessments on MTN Ghana over many years and presented MTN Ghana with various taxpayer awards in recognition of its contribution to the fiscal development of the country. MTN Ghana thanked the GRA for its support throughout the process, especially allowing us a temporary withdrawal of the Notice of Assessment in a bid to resolve this matter in an amicable manner. Background In 2019, the GRA commenced an audit of MTN Ghana with the objective to give assurance on the reliability and completeness of revenues declared by MTN Ghana for the purpose of tax computation for the period 2014-2018. The GRA had not issued MTN Ghana with any prior guidelines and standards relating to the new CDR sequence-based methodology used for the audit. In May 2021, after consultations and discussions between MTN Ghana, MTN Group, the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Ghana and the GRA, the parties agreed to an independent review by a global professional services firm. MTN Ghana has fully cooperated in this independent review, which was commissioned by the GRA in September 2021. The independent review found that it was unable to support the conclusions reached by the GRA’s third-party consultants as the basis for the assessment.
Minority rushed to supreme court to Prevent E-levy
The opposition minority caucus has petitioned the Supreme Court for an order of interlocutory injunction to prevent the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia led government through the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) from commencing with the implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) on the 1st of May 2022. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
GRA pushes back benchmark value discount reversal takeoff to Jan. 17
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has, again, delayed its implementation of the benchmark value discount reversal. It now intends to roll it out on Monday, 17 January 2022. The GRA explained in a statement that the second delay is aimed at ensuring a smooth take-off following several complaints received from importers and exporters in the country when the implementation started on 4 January, which forced a first delay of one day. Additionally, the delay is to allow a storage-free period for vessels that discharged on 31st December 2021 to go through clearance without being affected by the reversal of the policy. A statement from the GRA said effective Monday, 17 January 2022, any Bill of Entry (BOE) presented without payment of duty and other taxes or deposit of security (where it is a suspense cargo) will be affected by the policy. A bill of entry, the GRA said, shall require reprocessing to be affected by the new policy. This will include the following: Where BOE tax assessment is accepted by declarant but tax bill has not been paid Where BOE tax assessment is yet to be accepted by the declarant Also, the GRA said for any assessed BOE that was affected by the earlier effective dates of 4th or 6th January 2022, a reprocessing will be required to reverse the effect of the policy on duty and taxes. —classfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your adverts and credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
5,000 Ghanaians in affluent communities evade taxes – GRA
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has identified 5,000 Ghanaians who despite operating different level of businesses in the country avoid paying taxes to government. Disclosing this at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Assistant Commissioner of GRA, Dr. Charles Addae, said culprits of the anomaly were mostly people between 35 and 65 years old and residing mostly in the top 10 affluent communities of the country. He said “when we look at the records, we have seen 5,000 people that are high potential individuals who have businesses and living within Ghana. I am not talking about Greater Accra alone. They have houses in places like East Legon and other affluent areas. “However, we have been able to identify their telephone numbers and they do not have tax identification numbers (TIN) so we are chasing them,” he added. Dr. Addae also disclosed that the authority has identified a further 20,000 Ghanaians of high earning professions who have not registered for their TIN and will in due time, the authority will take appropriate action against them. He urged Ghanaians who have not filed their tax returns to take advantage of government’s penalty and interest waiver regime to file their taxes so as to not attract any punishment. —Daily Mail GH Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
My daughter’s $1m gift was a ‘faith cheque’, not a real one – Sam Korankye Ankrah
General Overseer for the Royal house Chapel International, Sam Korankye Ankrah, has described the $1 million gift given to his daughter on her wedding day as a ‘faith cheque’. This comes after the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), in a letter sighted by Myjoyonline.com summoned Naa Dromo Korankye-Ankrah for tax returns on her wedding gift. However, explaining the motive behind the presentation ahead of the meeting, Rev. Korankye-Ankrah said the donors were acting by faith. “Sometimes when you hear these things you need to have information and you need to know what to say and you need to answer them because here there is transparency and there is nothing to hide. “The cheque was a ‘faith cheque’, not a real one. These young people are saying that they believe that one day on occasion like this they can be able to present a cheque of $1 million. That is the statement that they are making,” he explained. Last week, General Overseer’s daughter received the dummy cheque from her friends as her wedding gift in a colourful ceremony that got social media talking. Many people expressed mixed feelings about the practice, after which the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) issued a letter to the newlywed, demanding tax on the gift. But Apostle Korankye Ankrah insisted that; “they presented the dummy cheque of $1 million but people did not get the idea behind the presentation.” According to him, the rationale behind the gesture was misconstrued because the public “thought it was real money.” “Quickly they turned the headlines, ‘Sam Ankrah gifts to his daughter who got wedded $1million’ and the thing went viral.” Speaking to his congregants, the Apostle General further said; “I thank God that they are prophesying that one day, I’ll be able to gift my daughter one million dollars. The cheque is a faith cheque. I am being very careful at the moment how to choose my words because I do not want to present them in a manner that looks like they are joking. Because what you think is fun today, will become a reality tomorrow.” Rev. Korankye-Ankrah subsequently urged the public to disregard any claims that his daughter has received $1 million as a gift from her friends during her wedding. —Joynews Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
GRA moved to cashless
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) effective, today, Tuesday, 1 June 2021, will no longer accept personal cheques for the payment of taxes and levies in any Domestic Tax Revenue Division or Customs Division office. Taxpayers are, therefore, advised to pay all cheques issued in the name of GRA for payment of any tax types at some designated banks. The 22 banks include FBN Bank, Absa Bank, GCB Bank Limited, United Bank for Africa, Agricultural Development Bank, Societe Generale Ghana, Zenith Bank, GT Bank, Fidelity Bank, Universal Merchant Bank and First Atlantic Bank. The others are Republic Bank, Ecobank Ghana, Cal Bank, Universal Merchant Bank, Prudential Bank, Consolidated Bank Ghana, Access Bank, Bank for Africa, Omni Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Stanbic Bank. “Henceforth, all taxpayers are to file returns and pay taxes using Ghana.gov portal,” a circular noted. Classfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
GRA locks up Grid Petroleum and Sonnidom Ltd for tax default
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has locked up the offices of Grid Petroleum Ghana Limited and Sonnidom Petroleum Limited for defaulting in petroleum taxes and levies. Grid Petroleum Ghana Limited owed the GRA to the tune of GhC1.25 million, while Sonnidom Petroleum Limited is indebted to the Authority an amount of Ghc862,702.13. Nathaniel Okai Tetteh, the chief revenue officer, debt management, compliance and enforcement unit of GRA, made this known in an interview with the media after a special exercise christened: “VAT Distress Action”. The exercise saw unannounced visits to the companies to collect outstanding debts from recalcitrant taxpayers of the Authority. He said the exercise was undertaken after a failed discussions and negotiations with the companies to pay their outstanding taxes to the Authority. Tetteh said the locked-up companies have 10 days to visit the GRA head office and settle their debts to avoid further actions like auctioning their assets. He said GRA would come after companies like Santol Limited, Life Petroleum, Delma Company Limited and Petra Energy that owed the Authority a huge sum of money. He said the exercise was to enforce tax compliance and improve the Authority’s revenue generation. The exercise also forms part of GRA’s comprehensive national tax campaign to encourage more Ghanaians to honour their tax obligations to enable the government to meet its domestic revenue targets, increase social intervention policies and accelerate development across the country. The GRA, in September 2019, launched a task force dubbed: “Operation Collect, Name and Shame,” aimed at collecting overdue taxes and the names of recalcitrant businesses were published in the media and asked to settle their debts. GNA Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093









