Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) through its revenue mobilization task force embarked on a national exercise aimed at prosecuting all business entities who fail to issue tax invoices to clients.

Addressing a cross section of the media at its headquarters in Accra, Coordinator of the special task force, Henry Sam, revealed that based on investigations by the Bureau of National Investigation, test purchases were undertaken on 42 businesses suspected of wrongdoing but only three were vindicated of any infractions.

The 39 culprits identified were guilty of one or more of the following infractions; selective issuance of VAT invoices, issuance of own invoices without approval, suppression of sales and under declaration of VAT and other taxes.

The lawbreakers would be arraigned before the court and charged with the following offences; failure to issue VAT invoices, failure to pay tax and failure to comply with the tax law.

The GRA stormed the premises of these businesses for added information to establish the extent to which their offences impacts on revenue loss.

Henry Sam appealed to the public to request for the VAT invoices on all taxable goods and services and also report any infractions they notice in the businesses around them.

He warned all businesses evading taxes that, “the long arm of the law will surely catchup with them.”

Meanwhile, GRA hinted that an amount of GHC128.6 million was collected from 164 taxpayers since the beginning of the year to August 11.