Bishop Daniel Obinim
Founder of Godsway International Church, Bishop Daniel Obinim has sued the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for ‘arbitrarily’ blocking his bank account over claims of invading over GH¢769,000 in rent taxes.
Attached to the suit is Fidelity Bank where the plaintiff’s bank accounts and fixed deposit investments have been hit through an order issued by the Commissioner-General of GRA.
The revenue Authority last month placed a lien on the accounts of Bishop Obinim for allegedly failing to pay a total amount of GH¢769,095.87 in taxes on his Abroso Guest House Limited, a block of 21-unit shops located at Tema as well as a guest house in Accra.
The pastor in his writ filed before an Accra High Court however, claims that he has paid all outstanding rent taxes and the GRA had on two separate occasions conceded that he personally does not owe any taxes.
He described moves by the GRA as arbitrary, illegal and a deliberate attempt to disgrace him.
Claims
Bishop Obinim in his statement of claims averred that GRA on December 18, 2018, wrote to him demanding payment of an alleged tax liability of the sum of GH¢719,890 on the two properties.
The plaintiff stated that prior to the issuance of the above-stated demand letter, on or around July 2018, the GRA conducted audit and assessment in respect of the same rent taxes payable on the same properties.
As a result of the said audit exercise, the GRA concluded that the plaintiff’s tax liability for the period of 2014 to 2018 was GH¢769,095.87.
He argued that he made payments of all the outstanding rent taxes to the GRA and he has been issued with receipts.
The writ claims that Bishop Obinim was therefore taken by surprise when Fidelity Bank denied him access to his funds on June 3, 2019, when he attempted to withdraw money from the accounts.
He said the bank informed him that it had
received a demand notice in a form of garnishment issued by the
Commissioner-General of the GRA compelling them to prevent him from accessing
his personal funds of some GH¢ 769,095.87.
Reliefs
Bishop Obinim is seeking “a declaration that, the plaintiff has paid all taxes due and demanded by 1st Defendant [GRA] from the plaintiff in respect of rent taxes payable on the 21 shops for the period of 2014 to 2018 and that; he does not owe in taxes, the sum of GH¢ 769,095.87 purportedly representing rent taxes payable on the Block of 21 shops.”
BY Gibril Abdul Razak