[ 2011-04-11 ]

Revenue Taskforce invades Chinese Restaurant for VAT offence
A special exercise embarked upon by personnel of
the Value Added Tax (VAT), Operations of the Ghana
Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Police Service
revealed that Tiantai, an Accra-based Chinese
restaurant was operating without issuing VAT
invoices.

The Anti-Revenue Leakages Special Monitoring Team
of the GRA was part of the exercise which followed
a research carried out by the team on the practice
nationwide.

Mr Thomas Mills, who made this known to the Ghana
News Agency in Accra at the weekend, said the
research compelled the team to patronise the
services of the restaurant, where the authorities
failed to issue them an invoice after eating.

He said more than 200 hotels and restaurants
visited nationwide this year by the team revealed
that only 20 issued VAT invoices without the
client requesting for it, while some only issue
the invoice when asked for.

"Some of the hospitality facilities ask clients
whether they want VAT and explain to them that a
request for VAT will mean an extra cost to them,
while some hotels and restaurants have not
registered with the VAT Secretariat and have no
license from the Ghana Tourists Board to operate,"
he said.

He said it was criminal for any corporate entity
to violate the collection of VAT, since the act
threatened revenue generation, adding "such people
should not be spared because they are economic
saboteurs".

Mr Mills said some people also collect the VAT and
under declare the value or present false accounts,
while some register several accounts and present
only one to the tax authorities.

"Some companies direct that the money is placed in
secret accounts while they issue waybills instead
of VAT invoices to entrepreneurs."

Mr Mills said the practice was undermining
national development and the economy, warning that
who ever was encouraging it would be unmasked and
dealt with.

Source - JoyOnline

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