Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam George, has declared the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) the “biggest single purveyor of corruption in the public service.”
According to him, the GRA, which is supposed to act as a watchdog ensuring that no one evades taxes, failed in this duty in the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) deal, neglecting to retrieve owed taxes.
His comments follow the release of a full KPMG report by President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, May 22. The report revealed that Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) owes the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) GH¢ 31.88 million in unpaid taxes for eight months of service provision.
This outstanding amount includes accrued interest, estimated at GH¢ 18.50 million as of January 31, 2024.
The MP noted that several institutions have appeared before the public accounts committee due to the Auditor General’s findings of untaxed transactions.
“Infact sometimes we impose penalties on them to pay with interest. The withholding tax is not supposed to be withheld by SML, its by GRA in making the payment. So when GRA was making payment to SML, they ought to know, that they ought to have withheld taxes.”
“It appears as though the GRA itself is under duress in this deal. Officers of the GRA, because of the overwhelming influence of the patriarchs of SML and the relationship with the GRA, people are under so much duress that they are failing to even carry out the basic things. You have created loot, and you are sharing.
“So, when the police man is involved in armed robbery, who arrests him?”