Digital Barker has uncovered that Bento Africa, a payroll and HR startup, failed to remit taxes and pensions for several Ghanaian clients. This comes after similar issues in Nigeria, where the company also faced criticism for not fulfilling its tax and pension obligations. Bento expanded to Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda in 2021, but its operations in Ghana have been marred by poor documentation and high employee turnover.
Poor Documentation and High Turnover Cause Delays
According to sources close to the matter, Bento’s failure to remit taxes and pensions stemmed from inadequate documentation and frequent staff changes. One source revealed, “Clients provide employee tax numbers and salary details during registration, but months later, Bento still asks for the same information. This leads to delays, and in some cases, they collect money but fail to file taxes.”
A former employee of a Ghanaian business that used Bento shared their experience. They discovered unremitted withholding taxes, SSNIT contributions, and PAYE deductions in January 2023. Despite reaching out to Bento’s account manager, frequent personnel changes made resolving the issue difficult.
“Eventually, all the staff left, and the CEO, Ebun Okubanjo, stepped in. He promised to address the issue but ignored my emails. To date, we have over GH₵ 12,000 in unremitted taxes,” the former employee said.
Clients Face Penalties Due to Bento’s Failures
Bento’s failure to remit taxes and pensions has resulted in penalties for affected businesses. Ghana’s tax authority imposed fines, adding to the financial strain on clients. Some frustrated clients lodged complaints, pressuring Bento to cover the penalties. However, the company’s internal financial struggles often made this impossible.
“Bento sometimes paid penalties for late tax filings, but this drained their funds, leaving them unable to make future payments. This created a vicious cycle of delays and more penalties,” the former employee explained.
High Employee Turnover Exacerbates Problems
Bento Ghana’s high employee turnover rate worsened the situation. With fewer than 15 employees, the company struggled to retain staff. Poor documentation and lack of proper handovers meant new hires often couldn’t access critical data, further delaying tax filings.
“Without the right data, you can’t file taxes. New employees faced challenges due to poor handovers, leading to missed deadlines and more client complaints,” the employee added.
Can Bento Rebuild Trust?
With growing client concerns and investigations in at least one country, Bento Africa faces significant challenges. The company must address its systemic issues, including poor documentation and high turnover, to rebuild trust and stabilize operations. Whether Bento can recover from this fallout remains uncertain.
Ebun Okubanjo, Bento’s CEO, has not responded to requests for comment on these allegations.
Source: Digital Barker
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