The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) task force has carried out an enforcement exercise in Accra, seizing assorted drinks that did not bear the required tax stamps.

The operation was conducted under the Excise Duty Act, 2023 (Act 1093), which makes it mandatory for manufacturers and importers to affix tax stamps on specific products before they are released onto the market.

Speaking to the media after the exercise, Mr Kwabena Apau Awua Anto, Head of the GRA Excise Unit, said the policy was introduced to ensure that imported products, like the malt drink and others, have stamps affixed to them to indicate that the taxes on them had been paid.

He added that, while many locally produced goods such as bottled water comply with the directive, a number of malt drinks and other beverages were found without the stamps.

He explained that the law authorises the Authority to remove such items from circulation.

He added that businesses with genuine reasons for non-compliance could petition the Commissioner-General for consideration.

The GRA says the exercise forms part of efforts to boost tax compliance and safeguard government revenue.