COPEC warns of a repetition of OMCs infractions in Auditor-General report if…
Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in the country according to the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), are likely to repeat infractions noted in the Auditor-General’s 2020 report if the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) fails to crack the whip and recoup the $38.3 million unpaid taxes owed the State.
Speaking on the issue in an interview, Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah, noted that, next years’ report of the Auditor General will record similar infractions if the GRA fails to act on the instructions and recommendations of the Auditor-General.
“If somebody lifted products and defaulted beyond the period that we know they have, after which they have to make payments, it is up to the GRA to ensure that it recovers those taxes due the state. Unfortunately, the GRA is also sometimes not allowed to work by the very politicians who should be getting these taxes back for the state.”
“It is a complex mix of issues, and we expect that the GRA will bite and bark sometimes. Until we fix those issues and challenges and issues we will come back next year with a similar report stating that others have defaulted to the tune of several hundreds of millions of Ghana Cedis,” he stated.
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The Auditor-General’s report revealed that some 28 OMCs from July 2018 to December 2019, lifted various petroleum products from TOR, without paying the required duties and taxes amounting to GHS226.9 million ($38.3 million).
Section 104 of the Customs Act, 2015 (Act 891) provides that where the Commissioner-General establishes that a person owes duty or tax arrears, that person shall within thirty days of written request by the Commissioner-General to refund the money or pay the duty or tax arrears owed.
The Auditor-General has therefore recommended to the Commissioner of the Customs Division to recover the amount of GHS226.9 million from the OMCs without any further delay.
