VAT Service goes all out on hospitality operators in Kumasi

The Value Added Tax (VAT) Service in Kumasi is turning to the hospitality industry to enforce tax compliance.

According to Head of the Suame VAT Agency, most hotel and restaurant operators in the catchment are either not issuing VAT invoices or refusing to file returns.

Akosua Adu Boateng says the service is engaging over 100 operators to share information on adequate record keeping, tax responsibilities and rights.

She tells Luv Fm one way to improve compliance is to insist that hoteliers maintain a good 'Lodgers Register', provided by the Ghana Tourist Board.

“If you take away our key tax payers, the next area that we need to groom and nurture is the hotel and restaurant operators. The Tourist Board Register has details of every client or customer that lodges at the hotel; name, number of days to be spent at the hotel and the rate of the room. These are the things that we need to do a very good verification”, Mrs. Adu Boateng noted.

She also entreats businesses to make purchases from VAT registered traders in order to benefit from packages like the 'deductable input'.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh