Mr Henry Sam, the Coordinator of the Taskforce, said the collections were made in respect of compliance activities organised by the taskforce and also taxes that have been established by the tax offices nationwide.

Briefing the media ahead of a special exercise to clamp down on businesses, which are subject to issue VAT invoices in accordance with the tax law but have failed to do so, Mr Sam said the targeted business had failed to operate within the law.

He said some undercover activities carried out by the Bureau of National Investigations showed that out of the 42 businesses visited within the Greater Accra Region only three were found to be issuing the VAT invoice.

The rest were issuing their own invoices while some were also undertaking selective issuance of the VAT invoice.Others were also suppressing Sales and Transactions while people also under declare the VAT/NHIL and other transactions.

In view of this, Mr Sam said the (GRA) would embark on nationwide operations to combat non-issuance of VAT invoices and offenders would be arrested and prosecuted.However, to bring these offenders to book and to curb the act, a joint operation between officers of the GRA and law enforcement agencies was being carried out to take possession of and have access to business records of taxpayers who fail to issue VAT/NHIL invoices to customers.

This exercise according to Mr Sam would involve taking possession of and have access to any document to be used as evidence for prosecution and to determine the tax liability arising out of the infractions of the tax laws.Mr Sam said people found to be guilty of non-issuance of VAT invoices, would be liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 100 penalty units or a term of imprisonment of not more than six months or both.

In addition, culprits would also be tasked to pay an amount of not more than 500 currency points or three times the amount of tax involved.The GRA appealed to the customers who patronize taxable goods and services to always insist on VAT invoices on making purchases of goods and services subject to VAT and report any infraction of tax laws to the nearest GRA office for swift action to be taken.

Businesses were also warned that, they will be dealt with by law if they failed to comply with the tax laws by issuing VAT invoices to customers without being asked to do so. Meanwhile, a joint operation between officers of the GRA and law enforcement agencies was undertaken at Adesko Hotel at Dzorwulu and Heaven Hotel at Kokomlemle for their failure to issue VAT invoices.