The founder of the New Force, Nana Kwame Bediako, has denied tax evasion claims by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The leader of the New Force made headlines in the state newspapers for his failure to file personal income tax returns from 2013 to 2016, and was fined an amount of GH¢50,000.
Also, the publication dated January 18 read, “Despite settling a sum of GH¢209,171 between 2018 and 2020, he once again failed to file his returns for the post-2020 period.”
Again, the publication added that for the years 2021-2022, the GRA estimated Cheddar’s tax assessment to be GH¢2,088,228 and GH¢5,096,536 respectively, along with penalties for his failure to file his personal income tax returns.
But Mr Bediako believes that the GRA wanted to disgrace him and tarnish his reputation, suggesting that he was being targeted despite being one of the few individuals consistently paying his taxes.
Nana Kwame Bediako also known as Cheddar has since taken to social media, X to respond to the tax evasion claims on January 18, 2024.
Speaking in local parlance he said “ I woke up this morning, only to see my pictures on the front cover of multiple publications alleging that I have evaded taxes. I have dedicated almost 22 or 23 years in this country. When it comes to taxes, I have consistently fulfilled my obligations and continue to do so.”
Cheddar explained that due to his regular importation of goods into the country, there was no way he could have evaded taxes without being identified to date. He added that even though his tax income was mostly high, he always ensured prompt payment.
In light of this, he could not understand why the GRA would deliberately publish his pictures for tax invasion.
“If we consider the state of the economy and the hardship we face as citizens, it appears the government was doing nothing to alleviate our difficulties.
“The government intends to disgrace me, so it published my pictures in the papers. No, you cannot disgrace a man whom God has graced,” he said.
He continued that if the GRA believed that he was tardy in paying his taxes, they could have scheduled a meeting with him rather than resort to the approach they employed.
Cheddar seized the opportunity to appeal to the government to create more jobs to reduce unemployment rather than having only a few private individuals working to earn a living.
He stressed that he has noticed that the government cannot live up to the mandate, for which reason he intends to become the next president of Ghana.
However, unlike the government, he would provide evidence of what the taxes are used for.