GUTA gives governmment Oct. 31 ultimatum to stop foreigners in retail business

The Greater Accra Regional branch of Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has given government up to 31st October, 2017 to stop foreigners who are into retail business from operating or face their wrath.

According to GUTA, they will be compelled to cease filing their VAT returns and other taxes if government fails to stop them.

Section 27 sub-section (1) (a) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) Act 865 clearly states that “a person who is not a citizen or an enterprise which is not wholly owned by citizen shall not invest in or participate in the sale of goods or provision of services in a market, petty trading or hawking or selling of goods in a stall at any place.”

However, members of GUTA say this provision has not been enforced paving way foreigners to enter into retail business.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Nana Poku, who is the Greater Accra Regional Secretary of GUTA, said the influx of foreigners in the retail business has led to high cost in shop rental in various markets causing indigenes to lose their shops to foreigners.

“As a Union, we are law abiding citizens, so we are giving our law enforcement agencies and the authorities of our dear country to ensure that these illegal foreign operators leave our market by the end of October, 2017,” he said.

“GUTA Greater Accra Region is ever ready to defend its position, reason being that, traders will not pay taxes if foreigners continue their unlawful trading activities in our various markets which the laws of the land prohibits,” he added.

Nana Poku accused the foreigners who are into retail business of engaging in money laundering.

“The ripple effects in this lawlessness on the part of these foreigners is what we are all witnessing today of some Banks collapsing and the unstable foreign exchange,’ he said.