By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Dec. 18, GNA – The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has embarked on a public education campaign to deepen understanding of excise duty obligations and promote voluntary tax compliance among manufacturers, importers and consumers.
Mr Kwabena Apau Awua Anto, Chief Revenue Officer in charge of Excise at the GRA, said the exercise formed part of the Sustained National Tax Education Programme and the Modified Taxation framework launched on November 5 this year.
He said the Authority considered public engagement critical to achieving compliance, noting that many taxpayers were willing to comply when adequately informed about their obligations.
Mr Anto explained that excise duty was imposed on a wide range of products consumed daily by the public, although awareness of the tax remained low.
He said bottled water attracts an excise duty of 17.5 per cent, while beer was taxed at 47.5 per cent, spirits, including local gin and imported alcoholic beverages, attract an excise duty of 50 per cent.
“Fruit juices, vegetable juices, sweetened beverages and other soft drinks, whether containing added sugar or not, attract an excise duty of 20 per cent,” he added.
He said to ensure the correct declaration of quantities and payment of the appropriate duties, the law required excisable products to bear official excise tax stamps.
“All products such as bottled water, malt drinks, beer, wines, spirits and tobacco are required to have the appropriate excise tax stamp affixed to them,” he said.
Mr Anto noted that since 2018, the GRA had
regularly engaged the media and the public on excise duty compliance and conducted routine market surveillance to identify infractions.
Some of the violations detected include products without excise stamps, products bearing counterfeit stamps and cases where stamps meant for locally manufactured goods are affixed to imported products or used on products belonging to other companies.
He explained that excise stamps differed by colour and category depending on whether a product was locally manufactured or imported, and also varied by product type, including water, soft drinks, spirits, wines and tobacco.
Mr Anto said the GRA had introduced a public verification tool, the GRA Tax stamps Authenticator App, available for download on the Play Store, to enable consumers to verify the authenticity of excise stamps.
He said scanning a stamp provided details such as the product type, volume and manufacturer, and any inconsistency may indicate non-compliance or counterfeiting.
“GRA works closely with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to ensure that only FDA-certified products are issued with excise stamps, stressing the importance of consumer vigilance in safeguarding public health,” he said.
He said the Authority’s approach emphasised education over enforcement, with the aim of achieving voluntary compliance.
“We believe that with sustained education and the right information, compliance will improve, enabling the country to mobilise adequate revenue for national development,” Mr Anto said.
GNA
Christian Akorlie