Tema,-The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has expressed its unhappiness on the removal of the 50 per cent of benchmark value on some 143 items by the Ghana Revenue Authority.
The implementation of the reversal policy for the items which are categorized under home ‘delivery value of vehicles, goods on which benchmark values are applied and all other goods’ took effect from the morning of Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at all ports of entry in Ghana.
Mr Samson Awingobit Asaki, Executive Secretary of the IEAG in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Tema said the association was displeased and shocked at the ongoing process of clearance.
He indicated that importers and clearing agencies whose Bill of Entry (BOE) were entered and duly accepted by the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) in the last working days of 2021, had been denied access to clear their cargoes from the ports.
“Such importers and clearing agents are regrettably being asked to re-enter their various BOEs for new values to be charged on their cargos,” he stated.
Mr. Asaki noted that the ICUMS platform had been shut to all importers including clearing agents whose process had already been completed in the last year of 2021 and waiting to clear their cargoes from the ports.
He stressed that “The IEAG would want to state categorically that the position taken by the government and by extension the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on this matter would be detrimental to the business community if it is not reversed immediately.”
According to him, it would lead to many businesses losing their cargoes since importers would have to pay more outside their budgets even at this crucial time at the beginning of a New Year.
He added that in the likely event that such importers were not able to raise the additional funds to clear their goods on time, issues of Uncleared Cargo Lists (UCL) would pop up and huge losses to demurrage would set in.
The Association, therefore, called on the government and the GRA to withdraw the directive with immediate effect and also demanded that such importers be given at least 14 working days to clear their already cleared cargoes from the port without the new 50 per cent benchmark values.
According to him, “the IEAG would want to state that it would not hesitate to commence moves with its allies in the business community to register its displeasure about this directive should government fails to heed to our demands within 24 hours.”
Source: Ghana News Agency
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