By Nathaniel Nartey
Importers, freight forwarders, and clearing agents are to be sensitised by the Customs Division of the GRA on the new Import Duty Exemption regime to ensure compliance and improve the knowledge of shippers on the changing trends in clearing goods at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
This follows several complaints from importers and their clearing agents to the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) over denial of exemption even when the right procedures are followed.
To address the complaint, the GSA paid a working visit to the Sector Commander of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) at the KIA, Mr. Alfred Lirase Apio.
Mr. Apio explained that most of the importers are not aware of the new Tax Exemption Bill, which was passed by Parliament in July 2022. According to him, the new tax law has abolished a number of exemptions under the previous regime, which the importers may not be aware of.
“We have a new Tax Exemption Act which took a lot of the exemptions away. Apart from some exemptions on personal effects, most of the waivers have been abolished,” he noted.
He used the opportunity to advise importers to take an interest in the processes involved in clearing goods at the KIA and ensure that they deal with agents who are registered with recognised associations to prevent avoidable challenges in their activities.
To improve compliance with the provisions of the new law, the Head of the Shipper Services and Trade Facilitation Department of the GSA, Mrs. Monica Josiah, called for collaboration between the two agencies to educate importers, Freight Forwarders and other stakeholders whose operations are impacted.
“We already have the Shipper Committees platform which has most of the importers, Freight Forwarders and other stakeholders included, so we can collaborate and sensitize them on the new Tax Exemption Act,” she stated.
Mrs. Josiah commended the Customs Division of the GRA for their continued assistance in providing solutions to the challenges faced by shippers in their operations at the KIA.
