Accra, Feb. 11, – The Registrar
General’s Department (RGD) on Monday called on the public to disregard any call
by persons or individuals demanding monies from companies to renew their
business names and pay penalty for non-filing of annual returns.
The RGD said it had not
authorised any group of persons or individuals to collect monies from companies
on its behalf to renew their business names or pay any penalty.
A statement signed by Mrs Jemima
M. Oware, the Registrar-General, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said: “It
has come to the attention of the Registrar Generals’ Department that some
faceless persons are calling some owners of companies and businesses requesting
them to send various sums of money through a mobile money account in order to
renew their business names and also pay their penalty for non-filing of annual
returns.”
It noted that the Department does
not interact with defaulting client through such means but rather through
publication in the print or electronics media as well as sending text messages
to notify clients.
The statement said the RGD had,
therefore, taken steps to investigate the matter in order to bring the perpetrators
to book.
It, however, reminded companies,
partnership and businesses that have not filed their Annual or Nil Returns and
Group Account of External Companies that were registered as far back as 1963 to
2018 to do so on or before Tuesday, April 30, 2019.
“Additionally all Directors,
Secretaries and Shareholders of Companies that have not updated their records
into the new database e-Registrar are expected to obtain individual Tax
Identification Number (TIN) from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), as well as
update the company records at the Department.”
Section 122 (1 and 2) of the
Companies Act, 1963, (Act 179), stated “that a Company shall file its Annual
Returns 18 months after Incorporation and once, at least in every year
thereafter”
The statement said under section
6(1) of the Incorporated Private Partnerships Act, 1962, “once every year the
Partners shall deliver to the Registrar of Partnership a statement in the
Prescribed form renewing the registration so sole Proprietors must note that
non-renewal of their Business Names has rendered the Business Name inactive in
our database effective January 2, 2019 and not in good standing.”
It said the RGD’s main objective
of issuing the statement was to ensure compliance of the Companies Act 179 and
not to punish businesses.
It said all businesses who wish
to be in good standing in the RGD’s Register for Business should make every
effort to comply timeously with the directive.
The statement said all payments
should be made at the Department’s on-site Bank, Fidelity Bank Limited and not
to any individuals of group of persons.
GNA
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