RotAt Osu GRA

Efforts by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government with the introduction of technology in the revenue sector, particularly, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to block leakages in the mobilisation  and collection of revenues in terms of taxes are allegedly  being thwarted by some personnel at the GRA office at Osu-Re in the Greater Accra Region, the media can report.

Our investigations last week revealed that a senior auditor at the Osu branch of GRA, Sampson Chiragia often gave  tax waivers to companies without approval from his superiors.

 For instance, our investigations further uncovered that, the Mr Chiragia  gave tax waiver to a certain private security company, which company he later allegedly destroyed its tax history file just to escape being caught.

He was recently  also alleged to have aided Svani Group Limited, an automobile company that deals in Mahindra vehicles to evade tax  due to the  State  in a tune of  Four Million Ghana Cedis (Ghc4, 000,000.00) in exchange for a brand new  4X4 Prado vehicle as a barter deal with the company. 

Although our source at GRA office at Spintex road where the company is located said,   Mr Chiragia did not work on the tax  file of Svani Group Limited he,  was  however,  able to influence the officer at the Spintex office who worked on Svani’s file.

Our checks also at the office of the Commissioner General confirmed that, the Authority in recent times had received several reports on some officers who allegedly were  involved in one fraudulent deal and the other.

 The source, however,  assured that,  the Commissioner  General  would  soon  commence investigations into those alleged fraud acts  being perpetuated  by some officers  including those at the Osu branch.

Responding to the tax evasion  allegation, General Manager of Svani Group Limited, Burhan Captan in an interview with this paper  via telephone denied that his outfit  had evaded tax.

According to him,  his company was in good standing as far as their taxes were concerned , and therefore was not afraid of anything.

“We are in good standing,  and I also  don’t know the man (referring to Mr Chiragia) in question”, he said.

When Mr Chiragia was contacted,  he rubbished the allegation, saying “it   is impossible for him to do that  since the Svani company is not  under Osu GRA”.

According to him, “if a company is not under your jurisdiction you cannot get up and go and audit them. It is only the Commissioner General  who can assign an external officer to do that, and until that is done, no one has the authority to do that on his or her own”, he fumed.

He also denied knowing the Svani company, but when he was probed further, he said,  the only person he knows is  one Prince who he said, is the  company’s accountant.

“I know my detractors are at it again, but my hands are clean,  and therefore they will not succeed”, he said.

He, however, did not understand why some people wanted to disgrace him when, “I’m faithfully serving my country”.

It would be recalled that at the recent economic forum organised by the Danquah Institute in Accra, Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta revealed that some lawyers and big business owners in Ghana had refuse to pay taxes but were  the ones who shout the loudest on social media about the government’s failure to render certain public services well”

According to him, “such people have abundant resources to contribute to nation-building yet have refused to do so by not paying their taxes”.

“There are lawyers, big business owners in the country, yet they refuse to declare their income.

“They have the resources and knowledge to make their fair contribution but simply refuse to pay their taxes. And yet, will shout the loudest on social media and any given forum about how government is failing in delivering public services.

“Such men and women are all around us. Unfortunately, they sit on the front pews of the churches”, the minister said.

Story: News Desk