Nana Kwame Bediako, the founder of New Force, has refuted allegations of tax evasion put forth by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The leader of New Force garnered attention in state newspapers due to his omission of personal income tax returns for the years 2013 to 2016, resulting in a fine of GH¢50,000.
A publication dated January 18 highlighted that despite settling an amount of GH¢209,171 for the period between 2018 and 2020, Bediako once again failed to submit his returns for the post-2020 period.
The publication further noted GRA’s estimation of Cheddar’s tax assessments to be GH¢2,088,228 and GH¢5,096,536 for the years 2021-2022, coupled with penalties for his non-compliance with personal income tax filings.
In response, Mr. Bediako has asserted that the GRA’s allegations are an attempt to disgrace him and tarnish his reputation.
He suggests that he is being unfairly targeted despite being among the few individuals consistently fulfilling their tax obligations.
On January 18, 2024, Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar, addressed the tax evasion allegations by utilizing social media platform X to provide his response.
Speaking in local parlance he said “ I woke up this morning, only to see my pictures on the front cover of multiple publications alleging that I have evaded taxes. I have dedicated almost 22 or 23 years in this country. When it comes to taxes, I have consistently fulfilled my obligations and continue to do so.”
“If we consider the state of the economy and the hardship we face as citizens, it appears the government was doing nothing to alleviate our difficulties.
“The government intends to disgrace me, so it published my pictures in the papers. No, you cannot disgrace a man whom God has graced,” he said.
He further expressed that if the GRA harbored concerns about the timeliness of his tax payments, they could have opted for a meeting instead of the method they chose.
Cheddar took the chance to call upon the government to generate more employment opportunities, aiming to alleviate unemployment rather than relying solely on a limited number of private individuals to sustain themselves.
Emphasizing his observation that the government struggles to fulfill its obligations, he declared his intention to vie for the presidency of Ghana. Unlike the current government, he pledged to transparently showcase evidence of how tax revenues would be utilized under his leadership.