The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has referred two cases of tax stamp fraud to the courts for trial with other cases also undergoing further investigations.
The Commissioner General of GRA, Mr Emmanuel Kofi Nti, addressing the media yesterday said due action will be taken when investigations conclude against the implicated companies.
Mr. Nti, who was speaking at the launch of a new mobile application called the Ghana Tax Stamp Authenticator in Accra said there is the need to constantly devise measures to deter fraudsters and non-compliant enterprises from using fake tax stamps on products.
“It’s for this reason that the GRA has developed the Ghana Tax Stamp Authenticator to aid the process to preventing fake stamps on products,” Mr. Nti noted.
He called on Ghanaians to be vigilant and always look out for the tax stamps on products before patronizing them.
With a successful scan result, the application is able to detect and highlight name of product, product origin, HR code, organization name as well as the metric name.
The application which is compatible with any android device, is usable with at least 5.0 android capacity with an internet data.
Installation process of the App includes tapping on play store, searching for the Ghana Tax Stamp Authenticator and clicking to install.
The GRA begun the tax stamp policy on January 1, 2018 with enforcements at the point of entry while point of sale enforcement also started on March 1, 2018.
The Excise Tax Stamp Act, 2013 (Act 873) requires that excise tax stamps be affixed on specific products manufactured domestically or imported, including cigarettes and tobacco products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, bottled water and any other product prescribed by the Finance Minister.