Kumasi, Oct 16, GNA - The Value Added Tax (VAT) office in Kumasi on Monday embarked on a distress action against 20 traders and commercial organisations who have collected various value added taxes from their customers amounting to over 1.9 billion cedis and have refused to render accounts to the Office.

Mr Anthony William Abeiku-Cudjoe, the Ashanti Regional Head of the VAT Office, said the office was compelled to undertake the action because the defaulters were supposed to pay their taxes every month but all efforts had fallen on deaf ears.

He said his outfit, together with the police, would visit the affected traders and businesses in the Metropolis to demand payments and that the premises of defaulters would be closed down.

Mr Abeiku-Cudjoe said an ultimatum would be given to the defaulters after which the VAT office would have no option than to auction their wares to defray the debt.

He said his outfit was being pushed to take such drastic measures because as partners in development and builders of the nation "we thought that they will as such play to the rules of the game but unfortunately it did not happen that way hence this line of action".

"We want to take this opportunity to enjoin other traders who owe various taxes to voluntarily come to our offices and pay so that they do not suffer similar fate",

"Again, we want to remind the general public who have not cultivated the habit of demanding VAT invoices to always ask for it as and when they purchase items from VAT traders and business organisations",

It is only through this that we can confirm that the taxes paid by them are being recorded", he said.