A mission to ensure companies comply with the country’s tax payment regime nearly turned into a disaster after some Chinese nationals released their wild dogs on tax officials belonging to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The officers have in recent times been on an exercise to enforce tax compliance as part of measures to improve revenue collection in the country.
The Head of Enforcement at the GRA, in charge of Accra Central, Joseph Annan is reported to have confirmed the incident, saying the Chinese nationals quickly unleashed their dogs as soon as they saw the officials.
“We experienced some nasty encounter today. Dogs were released on us but thanks to our security officers in the name of the preventive staff.
“There are a lot of Chinese nationals operating here without paying the VAT, and when we come to enforce the law, they open their dogs,” he said as quoted by the news website.
Annan vowed that the said Chinese nationals will not get away with their conduct this time around because they are in the habit of obstructing the GRA officials anytime they try to enforce the tax laws.
“We will deal with them for trying to push us back. The case will be investigated and then the docket will be completed and handed over to our legal unit for possible prosecution.”
The officers visited Executive Quarry, Pilot Stone Quarry, Tonnisco Quarry and Hao Xin Quarry, all of which Annan said are “Chinese companies operating in Ghana without paying the VAT”.
The GRA officials had earlier shut down some quarry companies in the Shai-Osudoku Municipality for failing to pay taxes.
