Although the outgoing Government of Ghana has been deducting three per cent as withholding tax on the sale of diamond in Ghana, there are no receipts available to indicate those monies have actually been paid to the Ghana Revenue Authority, Isaac Ahiable, Chairman of the Ghana Diamond Association, has said.
According to him, members of the association are worried about the development because they cannot trace exactly where the deductions go due to lack of documentation.
The government in January 2016 imposed a 10 per cent withholding tax on miners following the revision of the Income Tax law, 2015 (Act 896). However, after several deliberations among stakeholders, the 10 per cent was reduced to 3% in March 2016.
But Mr Ahiable has revealed that in spite of assurances by the outgoing government to refund the seven per cent difference, the workers have not received any payment almost a year after the review.
Speaking in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5 FM on Wednesday January 4, he said: “Just last year the government introduced the 10 per cent withholding tax, which took effect from January 2016 and the government deducted the 10 per cent from January 2016 to March but after deliberations parliament reduced it to three per cent, following which the government assured us that the difference would be paid back to us. Up to date, that difference has not been paid to us.”
He added: “Again, even the three per cent that were deducted from March to December 2016, they have not given us any tax receipt on the deduction, not even a common receipt that shows that they have deducted the three per cent has been given to us. The only thing we have to show is the vouchers. As we speak we don’t have any certificate or document to show that those deductions have been paid to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). Whether the money has landed in private pockets or not, we don’t know. We have nothing to show that those deductions have been made but we are being deducted.”
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
