Metro TV shutdown over GHC2.3 million debt to the State

The free-to-air private television station is said to have refused persistent warnings by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to pay the amount, said to be taxed from 2014 to 2018.

Officials from the GRA stormed the premises at Labone where all workers were ushered out from the building and the offices placed under lock and key, TV3’s Nuong Faalong reported a while ago from the premises.

According to records from the GRA, the station owes GHC55,000 in Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax and additional GHC1.6 million VAT as well as incidentals, interest and penalties for defaulting for the past four years beginning 2014.

Officials of Metro TV declined to speak on the matter immediately, our correspondent reported, but said in an argument with the GRA, some of the Metro TV officials insisted they have been making payments to the GRA though they are yet to cover the full arrears.

The GRA said it has over the period followed the necessary processes to ensure that Metro TV pays the amount but to no avail.

“We’ve given them enough time and they have refused to do what is expected of them,” Mr. Bobbie Ansah, Assistant Commissioner of GRA in charge of Communications and Public Affairs told journalists.

“We’ve gone through the whole process but unfortunately our demands have been met with silence so we had to come and do what the law expects us to do,” he added.

Asked whether it was an operational or management shutdown, he responded, “as you’ve seen, we have shutdown the whole place”.

The shutdown is expected to affect the transmission of the station all workers have been moved out of the building.

The GRA has meanwhile served notice to other organisations, companies and institutions owing the state in taxes to endeavour to pay.

Mr. Ansah said “if you’re own please make good” your tax obligations.