GRA arrests operators of unlicensed Chinese factory diverting government textbooks to produce toilet papers

The Tax Enforcement Unit of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has clamped down on an unlicensed Chinese Factory – Everyday Manufacturing Limited.

The company located at the Awutu Senya Constituency in the Central Region was illegally diverting cartons of government textbooks to be recycled as Toilet Rolls.

Managers of the Chinese Facility initially locked the factory gate to the GRA taskforce after getting word of the exercise.

It took security personnel to jump over the gates to get through. Upon entering, the task force was met with piles of shredded papers left to rot under the mercies of the weather.

These shredded papers are from thousands of government-funded textbooks for senior high schools (SHS).

The head of the taskforce, Henry Bradford Sam indicated that said the company had committed several taxes and criminal offences – including tax evasion, failure to issue the Commissioner-General invoice, and destroying government property.

“We are going to estimate the cost of the exercise books and other raw materials used for producing the toilet-roll. Based on the estimate, the Commissioner-General will be in the best position to issue the tax due after deducting from what the company has paid already. We are also going to impose not less than 75 percent of taxes assessed as penalty: that is for Tax Evasion.

“We are also looking at failure to issue the Commissioner-General’s Invoice; we also saw that they were not keeping and maintaining records, and that also constitutes an offence.

“So, we are looking at these offences which amount to impeding tax administration and evading payment of lawful taxes. The police will also look at other criminal offences and associated government property that has been destroyed due to their actions, and deal with them accordingly. We are working hand in hand to ensure that we get to the bottom of these serious offences,” he said.

Just at the outskirts of the Everyday Manufacturing LTd were heaps of logged trunks of forest trees.

Joy Business gathers these trunks are provided by some residents at a cost. – a clear violation of Ghana’s logging regulations.

About five Chinese were located at the factory. They are part of a syndicate which diverts containers of text books to this facility to be recycled for the production of toilet rolls.

Officials of the taskforce together with some CID officials conducted a search of their rooms. This was to take stock of their business records.

The clampdown of Everyday Manufacturing Ltd is part of a series of distress actions being taken by the Ghana Revenue Authority against tax defaulters and evaders.