The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has partially sealed off Kitea Furniture and Decoration Company at Spintex for failing to comply with the Electronic Value Added Tax (e-VAT) system.
Four other companies have also been summoned over various tax irregularities as part of the Authority’s ongoing nationwide enforcement exercise.
The operation, carried out on Thursday, December 11, targeted five firms including Aivan Plastics at Achimota, Metalex Glass Manufacturing at Alajo, InterAfrica, and Sky Wonderland.
Assistant Commissioner for Accra Central Enforcement, Joseph Adjeikwei Annan, who supervised the exercise, said the affected companies had committed different levels of non-compliance, ranging from selective issuance of VAT receipts to under-declaration of sales.
At Aivan Plastics, he said the team found no records to validate sales, prompting GRA to invite the business owner.
“If you think you can hide records… your problems will be many more folds,” he warned, noting that the Authority would project figures if companies fail to submit proper documentation.
At Metalex, the company insisted that issuance of invoices is done at the Spintex branch rather than the manufacturing site visited by officers. Annan said the team would extend the checks to the second branch to verify compliance.
InterAfrica was flagged for under-declaring transactions after discrepancies were detected between waybills and entries captured in the IVAT system. The company has also been invited by the GRA.
The most severe action was taken against Kitea, where managers attributed their failure to use e-VAT to technical challenges. Annan confirmed a partial shutdown, saying the company has until the end of the next working day to fix the breaches.
“If they don’t correct the wrongs, we will come and do a full seal-off,” he stressed.
Sky Wonderland, another business visited, had no VAT invoices available for use. The GRA seized their records and plans a preemptive assessment until compliance is ensured.
Annan dismissed suggestions that poor record-keeping was due to ignorance, insisting many businesses simply refuse to cooperate. “They have the records but don’t want to give them to us,” he said.
He added that refusal to comply attracts penalties, interest on overdue taxes, and possible legal consequences. The GRA says the enforcement drive will continue to ensure full compliance with VAT laws and protect national revenue.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
