President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association, Dr. Joseph Obeng, has backed the protests against VAT by businesses, saying it is in the interest of fairness of the coverage of the taxes.
Speaking on The Point of View on Citi TV, Dr. Obeng said, “once you are not listening to our plight to make the thing uniform to ensure compliance, we will keep people out of our shops.”
This week, some business closed their shops to customers in protest of the uneven implementation of the Value Added Tax.
They complained that the tax structure and its administration do not support the features of their fast-moving goods market.
He complained that not all companies were compelled to ensure the VAT, thus giving them an advantage over the complaint businesses.
Consumers are likely to gravitate to businesses with cheaper prices.
“I believe most Ghanaians do not collect VAT invoices unless they have gone to the Super Market,” Dr. Obeng noted.
“The consuming public has the discretion to choose where to buy, so if you are collecting the 19.25 percent tax then you become the victim and this is what we have been talking about.”
Despite the protests, Dr. Obeng said GUTA was not anti-tax
“It is not that we are running away from anything. We are law-abiding, and we pay our taxes… Taxes were not made to destroy businesses. Taxes are made to enhance businesses.”