A group residents of the Kpone Katamanso Municipality in the Greater Accra Region, have petitioned the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Marfo over what they describe as an abuse of office by the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Free Zones Board, Michael Okyere Baafi.
The group says some companies in the Ghana Free Zones Enclave have refused to pay their property tax to the municipal assembly based on a letter from the Board, a situation which they say is affecting revenue mobilization in the area.
The municipality thus sent the matter to court earlier this year to demand the taxes from the companies.
The judgment by the Tema High Court delivered on the 25th of May 2018 indicated that the companies in the enclave are not exempted from the tax as they have been made to believe, hence must honor their property tax obligations to the municipality.
Since the judgment, some of the companies have still refused to comply, denying the municipal assembly the much-needed revenue for developmental projects.
Ghana Free Zones Board is aimed at promoting processing and manufacturing of goods through the establishment of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and encourages the development of commercial and service activities at seaport and airport areas.
Jeffery Ntori Nkansah, the lead petitioner of the group of residents, said their demands were especially important given that the State needs more revenue.
“And here we are; the Finance Minister just read the supplementary budget review and we are calling for mobilization [of taxes] to be done. We are calling on the government to call the authorities to order and allow the companies within the enclave to make payments so that the revenue can be mobilized by the assembly for development,” he stated.
There’s more in the video below.
–
By: citinewsroom.com/Ghana
