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10.06.2012 General News

Task Force To Enforce Law On Retail Trade

10.06.2012 LISTEN
By Emmanuel Bonney - Daily Graphic

An Inter-Agency Taskforce set up by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to monitor the activities of non-Ghanaians engaged in illgal business practices will from Monday June 25, 2012 start shutting down stores of all non-Ghanaians operating retail and petty trading activities in the various markets across the country.

That is to enforce Section 18 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act 1994 (Act 478) which reserves retail trading, petty trading, hawking and all kinds of trading in the market for Ghanaians.

In the course of its operation, the taskforce will also check for related issues such as tax evasion and non--compliance Ghana’s immigation regulation, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh, said at a press conference in Accra Friday.

“I wish to reiterate and remind all non-Ghanaians engaged in retail and petty trading in market places that the four months grace period extended to them on 20 February, 2012 to enable them to relocate their businesses to any other acceptable locations in the country, expires on 21 June,, 2012.

I”In other words the Ministry of Trade and Industry does not bexpect to see non-Ghanaians engaging in retail trading in any market place across the country from the 22nd of June 2012,” she said.

Ms Tetteh, however, noted that the government was not asking them to leave the country, neither were their assets being expropriated.

She said the non-Ghanaian business entities were being asked to register their businesses with the Registrar Genera’s Department, adding that “we further request that you ensure you meet the minimum capital requirements of the GIPC Act in respect of trading activities”.

She said the ministry expected operators of non-Ghanaians to register with the Ghana Revenue Authority and paid taxes to the Government of Ghana.

Ms Tetteh indicated that before you start your operations, and in order to continue to do so legally you must obtain a residence permit from the Ghana Immigration Service, and warned the taskforce would commence monitoring of the stores immediately the grace period expired.

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