The Ghana Revenue Authority is preparing to clamp down on untaxed online shopping as it seeks to recover billions lost annually from cross border transactions.
Commissioner General Anthony Kwasi Sarpong disclosed that government loses more than 2.2 billion each year because many online purchases escape value added tax.
He revealed this during a discussion on Metro Tv’s Good Morning Ghana with Moro Awudu on April 13.
Sarpong said while consumers pay VAT when buying goods in physical shops in Ghana, the same does not apply to items purchased online from countries such as the United Kingdom, China and the United States.
To address the gap, the Authority is piloting a new system known as Sentinel, expected to be rolled out by mid year.
Under the system, VAT will be automatically applied to online purchases, ensuring fairness between local retailers and foreign sellers.
Sarpong said the move is part of broader efforts to enforce tax parity and prevent revenue leakages as digital commerce continues to grow.
