The Kasoa and Achimota branch managers of the popular retail shop Melcom were arrested by the Ghana Revenue Authority’s revenue protection taskforce for failing to issue VAT invoices on some items sold to customers.
They were apprehended on February 1st.
Their arrest brings to nine, the number of shop managers arrested on the third day of the operation by the compliance unit of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The Electronic VAT Invoicing system was implemented by the GRA in 2022 in an effort to keep track of taxes paid on goods purchased.
Given that the value-added tax rate is currently around 25%, some businesses have implemented strategies to get around the system in order to maintain low prices that draw customers.
According to the GRA, store managers have devised a clever method of routing purchases through systems other than the customs-approved system.
The suspected shop managers will be arraigned after their statements are taken, according to the GRA.
The Ghana Revenue Authority arrested and detained the managers of the East Legon branch of Max Mart shopping centre, the Community 25 branch of Palace shopping mall, and the Second Cup Coffee shop in Dzorwulu on Tuesday for noncompliance with tax laws and bypassing the Electronic VAT Invoicing system.
The three managers are made up of two foreigners and one Ghanaian.
According to GRA, the managers of the respective malls purposefully cheated the Electronic VAT Invoicing system by recording multiple sales of items under one unit.
