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General News of Monday, 28 April 2014

Source: The Informer

Has Supa Bets paid the over $800,000 owed the State?

It is funny when you have not paid your child’s school fees but used the little money you have to buy a new dress for a party.

This is the situation that Supa Bets Ghana Limited, which is into Sports Betting (gaming), racing, and management of entertainment facility finds itself.

Having evaded import duty of over $200,000 ($212,510.99), Supa Bets was asked to pay an amount of $850,043.96 (being the pecuniary penalty of 300% of the total amount of the duty and taxes) to the state as at 2011, which according to intelligence gathered, has not been settled; but has enough money to sponsor one of Ghana’s leading club, Kumasi Asante Kotoko to the tune of GH¢360,000 in recent times.

Intelligence intercepted has it that, Supa Bets, as far back as July 2011 imported 21 pieces of gaming into the country for some commercial activities with total CIF value of $345,366.64, but in connivance with their clearing agent, Hail Him Limited, clandestinely listed the items as Computer Monitors with a new total CIF value $8,250

The unpatriotic act by the aforementioned companies came to light when documents requesting clearance of the items were submitted to the Sector Commander of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), this paper’s intelligence sources hinted.

It was concluded upon investigations that, Supa Bets Ghana Limited and Hail Him Limited be made to pay the difference of $212,510.99 with a 300% penalties charged on the evaded duties.

The two companies were also to be charged for evading tax and financial loss to the state, which according to this paper’s intelligence sources within GRA, has since not been enforced.

The Informer is not in any way against the Supa Bets Company in honoring its social corporate responsibility as it is reported to have done with Kumasi Asante Kotoko. But it is meaningless expressing such kind gestures, when it has huge sums of money to pay the state for a “criminal” offence like tax evasion captured in our status books.

On this note; we humbly calling on authorities at GRA to be up and doing in its core mandate of mobilizing revenue for the state before The Informer lenses catches up with them.

On page 78 of the Wednesday, April 2, 2014 edition of the Daily Graphic, Supa Bets was reported to have entered into a sponsorship deal with Kumasi Asante Kotoko in a deal worth GH¢360,000.

The company according to reports was represented by its Operations Manager, Fabrizio Lencioni, Country Director, Danny Dayani and one Oppong Yeboah, to sign the said sponsorship agreement with Kotoko.