The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, on behalf of AirtelTigo, Vodafone and MTN, has described allegations of tax fraud leveled against them by the Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful as having “dire” implications on “the growth of the mobile industry” in the country.
In a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, the mobile industry made it clear that they are “good cooperate citizens” and have complied with their tax obligations contrary to statements circulating in the media.
“Ghana’s mobile industry comprising of leading global network operators namely AirtelTigo, MTN and Vodafone are good corporate citizens, showcasing an exemplary record of tax compliance as well as delivering on all their tax obligations.”
The Communication Minister, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful on Friday, 7th August, 2020, while answering questions in Parliament revealed that, government has been able to save GHC1.5 billion in under-declared taxes in the telecommunications sector since the implementation of the Common Platform (CP) in 2017.
Read Also: Deployment of the Common Platform saves Gov’t GHC1.5 billion in under-declared taxes
The Minority Spokesperson on communications, Sam George, based on the revelations of the Minister, called for the prosecution of the Mobile industry which are at fault.
The Minister, however, did not name the companies which were involved in the misconduct. Rather, she pointed out that, the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) would be looking into the matter.
However, contradicting the comments of the Minister, the statement released by the mobile industry noted that, in their currently unfolding interaction with the NCA and GRA, the allegations have not been communicated to them. But, they pointed out that there is a possibility of the claims by the Minister being true.
“We wish to once again, state that these claims although potential and estimated have not been brought to the attention of our members and on the contrary, the ongoing working relationship between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), National Communications Authority (NCA) and/or their technical partner KelniGVG regarding the Common Platform does not support these allegations.”
In furtherance, because of the reputational damage of the statements hovering in the media, the mobile industry appealed to the government to notify them before making such matters public.
“To this end, we are humbly entreating the Government to engage with our members and all other industry players on serious reputational issues such as these before conclusions are drawn and same circulated with the public.
“We reiterate that the effect of no-consultations on serious assertions such as these, is dire to the growth of the mobile industry as it hurts investor confidence and lowers the entire image of the industry before the general public.
“The mobile industry is deeply concerned about the continuous recurrence of these claims, and the fact that standard audit principles and practice that characterize our members’ dealings with regulators continue to be breached. Any revenue assurance best practice will expect that such findings, if indeed were the case, will be shared with our members for their response and reconciliation before onward engagement with external parties and the media.”
Because of this breach and their concerns, the mobile industry indicate that they will be taking the matter to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications.
“We also will seek audience with Parliament through the Select Committee on Communications in the ensuing days to engage them adequately in addressing these allegations which have serious reputational effects on our businesses both in and out of Ghana.”
More so, the mobile industry make the point that, “they have requested since the 19th of November 2019,” the “report detailing” the “alleged tax misconducts” from the Communications Ministry but has not received the report “till date.”
