Tarkwa (Western Region), 10 Jan. '99,

Businesses and traders authorized to collect the Value Added Tax (VAT) must display only the orginal certificate and not its photostat copy in their shops. Mr Peprah Kyeremeh of the Western regional VAT Secretariat gave the directive at a day's workshop organized at Tarkwa yesterday. He said organisations which have received VAT certificates should, therefore, ensure that their agencies display the original VAT certificates received from the VAT Secretariat. Forty participants who attended the workshop were taken through topics including stocktaking, how to calculate VAT and how it works. Mr Kyeremeh said VAT is a consumption tax paid by the consumer, adding that traders collect it on behalf of the government to enable it to undertake more development projects. Mr Samuel Ackah Blay of Wassa West District Internal Revenue Office said 40 traders in the district have received their VAT certificates while 20 more have applied for it. GRi