The Alcohol Policy Alliance-Ghana (GhanAPA) has stepped up efforts to curb the sale of improperly labelled alcoholic and sugar-sweetened beverages by encouraging retailers and consumers to use the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Stamp Authenticator App.
The campaign, which included spot checks at shops in parts of Accra, sought to promote compliance with the Excise Duty Amendment Act, 2023 (Act 1108) while helping consumers identify genuine products on the market.
Leading the exercise, the Director of GhanAPA, Ms Mary Yayra Kpogo, urged shop owners to ensure that all alcoholic and sugar-sweetened beverages stocked in their outlets carry the appropriate excise tax stamps to avoid sanctions, including the confiscation of products.
She also encouraged consumers to download and use the GRA Stamp Authenticator App to verify the authenticity of excise stamps before purchasing such products, describing it as an important tool in protecting the public from counterfeit and non-compliant goods.
According to Ms Kpogo, the monitoring exercise revealed that some products either had no excise tax stamps or had stamps that were incorrectly affixed to different products, contrary to the requirements of the law.
She disclosed that the suspected non-compliant products had been reported to the Ghana Revenue Authority’s Excise Tax Unit for further investigation and possible seizure.
Ms Kpogo explained that the campaign forms part of GhanAPA’s collaboration with the GRA to strengthen compliance with the excise tax regime, improve domestic revenue mobilisation and reduce the circulation of counterfeit beverages.
She added that proper enforcement of the excise tax stamp system would not only protect government revenue but also help reduce the consumption of unregulated products, which are associated with the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
GhanAPA says it will continue public education and market surveillance activities to promote compliance with the law and safeguard public health.
