The Abbosey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association has announced the suspension of its intended sit down strike.
This follows an engagement with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Customs division, resulting in an agreement to withdraw officers from their shops.
In addition, Customs officers stationed along the Accra-Kumasi highway near Buankra have all been recalled to their respective stations hitherto who were disturbing their members.
In a press conference organised on Monday, October 2, 2023, Mr. Takyi Addo, said the association sees the move as intimidation and disrespect, and we are ready to give them a showdown.
“If you can’t collect your tax find another way not sending officers to our shops.”
“When officers of GRA come to your shops sack them, see them as thieves who are coming to study and monitor your business to come back later and steal you,” Mr Takyi stated
But in a press statement on Wednesday November 1, 2023, the association said “the closure of our shops, which was intended to send a message to the government and the GRA, has been suspended indefinitely”.
We therefore, commend the government for heeding to the concerns of the association and further expressed their gratitude to all Ghanaians for their support during their protest against the policy.
Below is the full statement
Abbosey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association Calls Off Sit-Down Protest Against GRA’s Compliance and Manual-Policing Exercise
For Immediate Release: November 1, 2023
The leadership of the Abbosey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association wishes to inform the public about the cancellation of our sit-down strike against the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) compliance and monitoring exercise.
The issues that led to our planned demonstration and temporary closure of shops were related to the GRA’s implementation of the Electronic Value Added Tax (E-VAT), which our association perceived as intimidating and lacking in respect.
In light of the concerns raised, the GRA has taken steps to withdraw its personnel from our members’ shops.
Our members have always been law-abiding citizens of Ghana, living in peace and providing services to our fellow citizens.
We, therefore, found it perplexing that the GRA would implement a policy without consulting our association.
It is important to clarify that we do not oppose the E-VAT policy itself but rather the manner in which it was being enforced.
We were baffled by the daily presence of GRA officers monitoring our activities, which seemed to be excessive in the name of revenue generation for the government.
Today, we are pleased to announce that the closure of our shops, which was intended to send a message to the government and the GRA, has been suspended indefinitely.
This decision follows engagements with the GRA and the Customs division, resulting in an agreement to withdraw officers from our shops. Furthermore, the Customs officers stationed along the Accra-Kumasi highway will also be recalled to their respective stations.
We take this opportunity to commend the government for heeding the concerns of our association, and we would like to express our gratitude to all Ghanaians for their support during our protest against the policy.
May God continue to bless our beloved motherland, Ghana.
Signed,
Head of Communications
Takyi Addo
0244369057.