A Kumasi Circuit Court has sentenced two sisters to two months imprisonment in hard labour for assaulting tax officers and impeding tax administration.
43 year old trader, Faustina Adusie and Victoria Serwaa Adusie, a 24 year old student were convicted on their own plea on the charges leveled against them.
A third accused, 17 year old daughter of Faustina, is to be sent to the Juvenile court for sentencing.
Faustina Adusie operates a mini supermarket and a hostel facility at Bomso, a suburb of Kumasi. She and the accomplices were in court for assaulting three officers of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in August 2010.
The IRS officers were beaten up and their testicles massaged when they visited the business premises of Faustina Adusie to enforce payment of three years tax arrears.
The first accused is reported to have stripped naked in full public glare and demanded the lead officer had sex with her, in order to get paid to honour her tax obligation.
The officers went through an unpleasant ordeal in the hands of the three ladies - one officer was violently pushed to the ground and sustained injuries in the right hand.
The court has found the three accused guilty of all charges.
Information available to Luv New indicates cases of assault on tax officers, performing their official duty is on the rise.
Ashanti Regional Director of IRS, Rogation Adams Kaleo has enjoined tax payers to respect revenue collectors in the discharge of their duty, emphasizing that “whoever is a taxable person should see staff of IRS as partners in development. We are coming around to collect money for the development of Ghana; it's not for anybody's private business… if they don't have all the money to pay, they can always negotiate for terms to pay but for them to try to impede tax administration or assault staff is not the best”.
Mr. Kaleo says staff are trained to be courteous to clients, and warned not to fight back when provoked.
Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh/Luv FM/Ghana
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Comments
It is education that is in short in this case. People need to be educated of the reasons why taxes are collected and also given the sense and trust that the money is the benefit of all and not to the pockets of tax officers.