One of the companies that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in parliament has sworn heaven and earth to grant waivers to, is already evading millions of Ghana Cedis in taxes at the Tema Port.
So far, documentation gathered by the Daily Searchlight suggest that the company could have escaped with tens of millions of Ghana Cedis in taxes it ought to have paid at the Tema for the period January, 2022, to August, 2023.
Sickeningly, the government has been made aware of what is happening by way of the tax evasion, but has taken no steps to stop the rot. Instead, it has decided to reward the company by adding it to the list of forty companies it proposes to grant tax waivers to.
In other words, the government has decided to reward the company that is busy stealing from it.
At the centre of the scandal is a company called ‘Sunda’ (Sunda Ghana Investment Limited, Sunda Ghana Limited), whose two affiliates named above constitute numbers 14 and 15 on the list of 42 companies the NPP government proposes to grant tax waivers to.
On the list, the NPP government is proposing to grant Sunda Ghana Investment Limited a total tax waiver of $22, 897,602.41 (twenty-two million, eight hundred and ninety-seven thousand, six hundred and two dollars, forty one cents).
The NPP Government is also proposing to grant a tax waiver of $23, 690, 843.79 (twenty three million, six hundred and ninety thousand, eight hundred and forty-three dollars and seventy-nine cents) to Sunda Ghana Limited).
This is in spite of evidence that this conglomerate is a constant evader of taxes at the Tema Port.
Sheafs of customs declaration forms intercepted by the Daily Searchlight from the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) reveal clearly that the company is evading tax on an unprecedented scale, with the connivance of authorities at the Customs Division.
For instance, on 21st May, 2024, Sunda (Ghana) Investment Company received one 20 footer container of roofing nails, consigned from Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The invoice on the consignment valued it at $21, 181.73 and the taxes was stated to be GHC148,454.78.
Somehow, the company managed to secure exemptions from the powers that be in the Customs Division of GRA, and only paid a tax GHC3,315.44, a reduction of over GHC145,000.00! The money paid was for Ghana Health Service Disinfection Fee, and Inspection Fee! All the other sixteen statutory taxes were waived!
Similarly, on 24th May, 2024, the same company, Sunda (Ghana) Investment Company received three 20 footer containers of roofing nails, again consigned from Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The invoice stated on the consignment was valued at $63,722.20 and the taxes was GHC446,595.14..
Again, somehow, the company managed to secure exemptions from the powers that be in the Customs Division of GRA, and only paid a tax GHC9,953.05! The money paid was for Ghana Health Service Disinfection Fee, and Inspection Fee! All the other sixteen statutory taxes were waived!
Meanwhile, fully-owned Ghanaian companies are being forced to pay through the nose when their goods arrive at the Tema Port.
(More soon).
Source: Daily Searchlight