A taskforce of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) enforcing the Excise Tax Stamp Policy on Tuesday stormed parts of the Eastern region to seize several products without the tax stamp.
The exercise is to ensure product manufacturers comply with the Excise Tax Stamp policy which is to be affixed on all excisable products
After a visit to some manufacturing firms, wholesale depots and some retail shops in Koforidua, the team observed general improvement in compliance of the policy but seized some products including alcoholic beverages identified without the tax stamp.
According to a Principal Revenue Officer at the GRA, Nathan Dankwa ,the exercise was a follow up to ensure strict compliance of the excise tax stamp.
“It is a follow up to what we did in October/November last year to ensure compliance of the excise tax stamp. Our impression so far as you can see, there is massive improvement in terms of compliance. I have been through town and most of the products are doing well. We are having challenges with others and we have seized some of the products.”
He added that “some of the hard liquors do not have the tax stamp affix that is a challenge but we will ensure that the right thing is done that is why we’ve confiscated some of them we will follow up to the manufacturers also to ensure that they have their tax stamp affix on all the products”.
Nathan Dankwa explained that owners of products seized have been given them seizure notices hence have “30 days to come to our office if not it will be confiscated but when they come the taxes on it will be calculated and additional penalty of 300% will be added and if they pay it will be released, there is also an option of prosecution that the Commissioner General will exercise that is left to him to exercise.”
He cautioned retailers not to purchase products without tax stamp.
“Now we have extended it to the retailers and if they don’t have the stamp we will seize the products so they should also ensure that any product they pick there is a tax stamp affix either than that they will incur the cost or we will also prosecute them.”
The Excise Tax Stamp Policy introduced last year, is to control counterfeit products on the Ghanaian market and enable government block tax leakages.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Kojo Ansah
