The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has shut down four companies operating in Accra and Tema over various tax compliance breaches as part of an intensified enforcement exercise.
The affected companies are Soul Restaurant in East Legon, Janel Spaces, a property management firm also in East Legon, Rision Industry Limited, a roofing nails manufacturer located in Spintex, and Chang Shang, a hardware dealer based in Tema.
Mr Joseph Adjeikwei Annan, Assistant Commissioner in charge of Accra Area Enforcement at the GRA, said the action formed part of a nationwide compliance drive to ensure businesses meet their tax obligations.
He explained that Soul Restaurant was cited for issuing unauthorised computerised invoices, filing tax returns without remitting payments, and under-declaring revenue.
According to him, the restaurant operates in both Accra and Koforidua but is registered with a tax office in Koforidua, and has accumulated significant tax liabilities.
“The Authority conducted an audit on their financial records, but the company has been evasive,” he said.
On Janel Spaces, Mr Annan said the company was not registered for Value Added Tax (VAT) but had been issuing VAT invoices using its Tax Identification Number.
He noted that Rision Industry Limited was found to be issuing selective tax invoices and under-declaring its tax returns.
Chang Shang, he said, was sanctioned for failing to issue VAT invoices consistently despite engaging in active sales.
Mr Annan also raised concerns about the growing practice of landlords renting residential properties to foreign nationals for commercial use without proper registration, thereby enabling tax evasion.
He cited a case involving Chang Shang, where business operations were being conducted from a residential facility without the knowledge of the Authority.
He stressed that maintaining accurate financial records was a legal requirement under Ghana’s tax laws, and failure to comply constituted a serious offence.
Mr Annan said the affected companies would remain closed until they submitted their sales records and regularised their tax obligations.
He warned that any attempt to tamper with GRA seals would attract severe penalties, including possible arrest and prosecution.
The Assistant Commissioner indicated that the enforcement exercise would continue across Accra and other parts of the country until compliance levels improve.
He urged businesses to regularise their tax affairs and appealed to the public not to shield tax defaulters, emphasising that tax compliance remained a shared civic duty critical to national development.
