GRA Get Documents Of Foreign Traders At Circle Tip Toe Lane

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Tuesday commenced a three-day exercise assessing documents of some foreign traders at Circle Tip Toe Lane.

However, the first day of the exercise did not go as expected as the foreign traders, mostly Nigerians, who were to present documents which detailed the name of the company, the year it was established, their phone numbers, monthly or weekly income, GPS address and Tax Identification Numbers (TIN), failed to do so.

According to the traders, they were not aware of any such exercise, thus do not have any documents to show.

Their shops had been locked up and would be opened only after their documents have been vetted and approved by the GRA’s committee members.

Speaking to the Deputy PRO of the Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA), Joseph Osei Yaw Agyemang, a member of the GRA committee, he explained that the committee had been there two days before, but the traders had complained of not being aware, so the three-day exercise was postponed.

“So we had to come here again, and the committee agreed that we come here for three days and this is the first day. We’ve served notices; we’ve made announcements, as you can see there are notices on their shops and so now they can’t tell us that we haven’t informed them,” he said.

According to him, the unwillingness of the traders to engage in the exercise will only be detrimental to their businesses as the longer they delay the process, their shops will remain locked.

“If they have the documents they should come and sit down. If they don’t have documents, or they have documents and don’t want to sit down, then it’s left to them.”

“They have to come through the committee, they’re vetted, and then we see if we have to open the shops for them then we open. So if you don’t come and bring your documents how do we open for you?” he said.

Mr. Agyemang stated that after the documents have been vetted and approved, the GRA would then go to the shops to check the invoices and revenue each shop makes in order to ensure the traders are paying the right the taxes.

“It happens everywhere when the GRA comes into your system to check whatever you have; they check your papers at least to make sure you’re paying the right taxes. And that is what GRA is going to do.”

—Myjoyonline.com