Ghanaians have been urged to eschew evading the payment of taxes charged on goods and services since it has an adverse ramifications on the country's economy.
Giving her presentation at a tax education forum in Bolgatanga of the Upper East Region, a Revenue Officer of the Ghana Revenue Authority, GRA, Mrs. Nana Dufie Achampong-Owusu, threatened the new tax ACT 2013, ACT 870, was going to crack the whip on individuals who made it a ritual of evading tax.
She added the imposition of the new ACT was to aid improve the operations and workings of the GRA to ensuring taxes imposed on goods and services were honoured promptly by the people.
According to Mrs Achampong-Owusu, the continuous economic challenges bedeviling the nation could be salvaged overnight, if Ghanaians were committed to paying taxes at all times.
Touching on the impression being held by tax payers that the Value Added Tax, VAT was not operating, she said the office of VAT was close due to the integration, hence it was part of the Internal Revenue Service, IRS, and that it was in full operation.
"The aim of this workshop is to sensitize our tax payers that VAT is still in effect. Because of the integration, we moved to join IRS, but people thought VAT is no more. In fact, it's the office of VAT that has closed, but not the administration of VAT", she told Peace news in an interview.
The new regulation on VAT, Mrs. Achampong-Owusu further stated, was biting since the sanctions were very strict, adding one could land in jail or pay monstrous amount of money if he or she evaded or played tricks with the payment of tax.
She also stated, " SECTION 41of the new law also says a person who issues a false tax invoice or sales receipt, or uses a false taxpayer identification number is in addition to the penalty provided liable to pay a penalty of an amount not more than 500 currency point, which is GHC10,000.00".
<<Print>>