The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has revealed that there are considerable tax irregularities associated with automatic payments made by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) for audit services related to downstream petroleum.
Special Prosecutor Mr. Kissi Agyebeng indicated that the GRA, which serves as the nation’s primary tax authority, neglected to withhold statutory taxes totaling GHS13,380,000 during the payment processing. Although this tax component was later adjusted in July 2024, a penal amount of GHS18,800,000 remains unpaid.
Furthermore, Mr. Agyebeng pointed out that SML still has an outstanding pay-as-you-earn tax liability of GHS346,967.53, which further underscores deficiencies in tax compliance and oversight.
During a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, October 30, he stated, “A central issue arising from the automatic payments by GRA to SML concerning the downstream petroleum audit is that GRA, the central tax authority, failed to deduct statutory taxes amounting to GHS13,380,000. This tax component was subsequently offset by GRA in July 2024.
“Nevertheless, a penal component of GHS18,800,000 remains unpaid. Additionally, there is an outstanding pay-as-you-earn tax liability of GHS346,967.53.”
These disclosures are part of a wider investigation by the OSP into contracts awarded to SML, which have faced criticism for unlawful approvals, automatic payments made without verification of the work completed, and inadequate service delivery.
