The Excise Unit of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has seized cartons of bottled spirits and wines on sale at the bar and stores of Kempinski Gold Coast and Movenpick Hotels in Accra over non-compliance with the tax stamp law.

The latest move follows earlier seizure of drinks without the tax stamps at wholesale shops in Accra.

Chief Revenue Officer of the GRA, leading the task force, Kwabena Apau Anto said, “… we have been visiting retail shops, wholesalers, manufacturers themselves and importers. We also know that key players in this business are the restaurants and the hotels because they sell a lot of these products.

So today, our focus is on the restaurants and hotels and that’s why this morning we’ve already been to Kempinski and now at Movenpick to make sure that all products without the tax stamp are detained.”

The GRA is yet to disclose the value of the drinks.

GRA has warned retailers, shop owners and Ghanaians to stop buying and displaying items that have no tax stamps on them.

The Excise Unit and GRA task force which conducted the seizure explained that the move is part of efforts to ensure full compliance of the tax stamp law.

The Excise Tax Stamp Act, 2013 (Act 873) which was passed by Parliament in December 2013 stipulates that excisable goods should be affixed with the tax stamps before they are put on the market for sale.

The excise tax stamps are specially designed digital stamps with security features which are affixed on specified excisable goods, whether locally manufactured or imported.