The Kaneshie police have arrested the Proprietor of Great Lamptey Schools Complex, Enoch Lamptey Mills and two other officials of the school for non payment of tax and the unlawful removal of the Internal Revenue Service seal applied to the school gate and administration block.

The two other officials are the headmaster and an occupant of the school.

The school is indebted to the IRS to the tune of 670 million cedis from 2003 to date.

The National Coordinator of the IRS taskforce, Theophilus Gaskin who made this known, noted that “Section 151 of the Internal Revenue Act, 2000 (Act 592) makes it a criminal offence for any person to obstruct or impede tax administration”.

He explained that a tax audit conducted on the school early this year revealed that it was indebted to the service adding that a report was subsequently sent to the authorities for action.

According to him, after several reminders, the school authorities failed to act, hence the application of the Commissioner’s Seals to the school gate, the administration block and the director’s office last Tuesday.

Mr Gaskin said when the taskforce passed by the school’s premises at about 11 am the next day, it realized that the seals had been removed from the main gate, the assembly hall and the director’s office.

The matter, he said was reported to the IRS office and that when the officials went to the IRS premises to negotiate the payment, they were arrested and taken to the Kaneshie Police Station where they were detained.

He said the task force was awaiting a response from the commissioner after which action would be taken.

Mr Gaskin urged Ghanaians to honour their tax obligations since tit was an offence to default in the payment.

Source: Daily Graphic