Smarttys to refund GH¢1.5m by March for the rebranding

Following the directive by the Chief of Staff to the Attorney General to recover excess payment for the re-spraying and branding of 116 new buses for the Ministry of Transport, lawyers for Smarttys Management and Productions Limited have reached agreement with the Attorney General to make full payment by the end of March this year.

A statement from the Flagstaff House said a payment schedule submitted by lawyers for Smarttys said the amount will be made in three installments with the first to be paid by the end of January, 2016.

It also said the Attorney General has confirmed that the total amount to be refunded has been reviewed from GH¢1.9 million to GH¢1,548,608.04.

The statement s

aid this is because of the revised Value Added Tax position, revised Withholding Tax position and a set-off of GH¢27,173.74 being over deduction of withholding tax on the original payment.

Government’s decision to spend GHc3.6 million of Ghana’s oil revenue on re-branding some 116 Metro Mass Transit (MMT) buses has been widely criticized by many Ghanaians.

The scandal, which compelled the Transport 

Minister, Dzifa Attivor to resign, comes at a time when the country is battling with some economic challenges.

The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah subsequently ordered the Attorney General to investigate the matter.

source citifmonline