Assin Central’s MP, Kennedy Agyapong, has accused the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) of unfairly going after his business interests. The GRA has debunked these claims.
According to a statement released by GRA’s Communications and Public Affairs department, the politician’s allegations, including that his businesses were audited without reason, are false.
“The purpose of such audits is to measure and improve compliance while fine-tuning controls. The factory in question together with other companies were thus audited to check the value of goods imported and their intended use. We wish to disclose that in January and February 2023, about thirty (30) of such risk-based activities were carried out on a number of businesses.”
“We wish to disclose that in January and February 2023, about thirty (30) of such risk-based activities were carried out on a number of businesses”, it said in a release. The GRA stressed that with respect to issues around tax compliance, the MP’s company was one of many that had been visited by tax officials in line with global compliance and the GRA’s own best practices.”
“GRA wishes to categorically refute the specific allegation of harassment at a factory under construction owned by the MP. We wish to clarify that as part of GRA’s mandate and in line with World Customs Organization’s (WCO’s) guidelines in ensuring adherence to best practices; such exercises are regularly conducted.” it said in a release.”
This comes after Kennedy Agyapong said during an interview on Sompa FM in Kumasi that “the Ghana Revenue Authority can never collapse my business because I will fight.”
“I will fight for the youth because that steel plant alone will take 1,000 workers. And you are going there because Kwame Agyapong is loudmouthed, because he wants to contest, so you will destroy my business,”
He said earlier that the GRA wanted to put personnel at his cold chain stores to police how much fish he sells daily before warning:
“Let me say this, I have gone past intimidation. They cannot use the system to intimidate me. “I have opened businesses across the last five presidents, and I never went through any of this harassment.”
“I was informed that people from the Ghana Revenue Authority had stormed my place to check the number of fish I sell in a day. Let me state it clearly that I can’t be threatened. They cannot use the system to intimidate because it won’t work. It’s so sad for me to make this statement, but when Rawlings was in office, I opened businesses, just as President Kufour, Atta Mills, and then in Mahama’s era.”
He went on to say:
“I never went through any of these harassments. I am sad, and I have to tell you the truth: I have never gone through harassment and intimidation like under Akufo-Addo. This is the frustration I am going through trying to set up businesses for Ghanaians. Business owners can attest to what I am saying.”
In the same way, Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong recently said that he thinks the current government made mistakes that led to the economic problems Ghanaians are facing right now.
Read the full statement below:
Source – Tru News Report
