Obinim fights against GRA for 769,000 unpaid taxes

General News of Monday, July 15, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-07-15

The bishop of the Godsway International Church, Bishop Daniel Obinim, sued the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for "illegally imposing taxes".

He challenged more than 769,000 euros in unpaid taxes that were attributed to him by the GRA on 18 December 2018.

According to the writ, the amount in dispute is an accumulation of unpaid taxes over four years between 2014 and 2018.

Taxes were collected on a property of 21 properties that it rents as stores and accommodation, Abroso Guest House Ltd.

The GRA asks it to pay 28,900 euros of rent during the period and 690,900 euros in total value added tax (VAT) collected for the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 July 2018, commercial activities of Abroso Guest House Limited GRA believes that the pastor is the owner.

But his legal team, led by Ralph Poku-Adusei in the brief, explained that Bishop Obinim had disputed the claims of the tax authority.

During the tax audit conducted in July 2018 during the intervention of the Bureau of the fight against organized and economic crime (EOCO), the writ concluded that Obinim had to pay 39 555 euros rent for said period and not 28 900 euros.

The audit also concluded that Abroso Guest House did not belong to its client. Obinim was only one of the three directors and could not therefore be held responsible for the taxes collected.

The warrant says that Obinim, acting through his badistant, Kwadwo Adu Boahen, paid the taxes examined at the GRA office in community 1, in Tema, and received payment receipts.

The warrant says that he was invited to the GRA office in Tema on April 4, 2019, where he had to learn to his surprise that the GRA is still waiting for him to pay the unpaid taxes. on rent as well as on the guest house.

His badistant, who attended the meeting, presented the payment receipts and company registration documents proving that Bishop Obinim was not required to pay the tax on the Abroso Guest House.

But after the meeting, he learned that after trying to access his account on June 3, 2019, that his accounts with Fidelity Bank had been blocked by order of GRA, says the brief.

The general commissioner of the GRA had issued a notice of garnishment asking Fidelity Bank to pay more than 769,000 euros to the pastor's account.

He added that the GRA did not warn of the garnishment notice or that their officers could justify their action. The client wants the court to cancel and / or strike off the garnishment notice issued by the GRA.