Minister on revenue mobilisation
Aflao (Volta Region)
10 December 2002- Revenue at the Ghana-Togo border at Aflao has dropped despite
the hike in the volume of trade across the frontier with the approach of
Christmas.
Kow Amissah-Koomson,
Assistant Commissioner of Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) in chare
of Aflao sector said a rise in smuggling was denying the state revenue. Speaking
to the GNA in an interview he said ''a way has to be found to stop the
smuggling.”
According to him the
sector collected its target of 81.6 million cedis for the 2002 revenue by
November. ''But this figure could have been exceeded had it not been for the
high incidence of smuggling from last October. The situation can be brought
under control if enough patrol equipment including communication gadgets and
vehicles are provided.''
He said the only
vehicle for the sector that includes Havi, Akanu and Kpoglo towns could not
effectively patrol the more than 30 unapproved routes along the border. Amissah-Koomson
said the harmonisation of tax values database for all stations would improve
tax compliance among traders.
He said between July
and September when the sector applied a Ghana Standards Board Veritax tax
valuation at the stations, compliance was encouraging.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002- Government on Monday expressed serious worry over
inefficiencies of revenue collecting agencies and urged them to tighten their
mechanisms to increase revenue and also protect domestic production.
To this end, Finance
Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo has charged the new Commissioner for the Customs,
Excise and Preventive Service, Brigadier Richardson Edwin Baiden to organise
the Service to reduce the level of collusion between some officers and
importers in the payment of correct duties on imported goods.
Osafo-Maafo gave the
directive when he officially introduced the new Commissioner to Assistant
Commissioners of the Service from the headquarters, James Town, the Kotoka
International Airport and Tema in Accra on Monday.
Brigadier Baiden, 56,
who until his appointment on 05 December 2002, was the Military Secretary of
the Ghana Armed Forces, takes over within the next seven days from Mr Isaac
Kofi Opoku-Ntiamoah, the out-going Commissioner.
Osafo-Maafo praised
the CEPS for directly collecting a high 44.6 percent of national total domestic
revenue through import duties this year and 48.7 in 2001.
Citing rice and
poultry as instances, the Finance Minister, however, said collusion of customs
officers with importers to pay very low duties or nothing at all did not only
deprive the nation of revenue, but also gave foreign competitors an edge, with
cheaper prices, over local products and kill local initiative.
Osafo-Maafo said the
use of weight to determine the level of duties did go well with all imports,
adding that false documentation with all kinds of stamps from the CEPS and the
Bank of Ghana were being used to avoid payment of correct import duties.
The Finance Minister
asked the management and staff of CEPS to join hands with the new commissioner
to improve upon the efficiency and effectiveness of the service to avoid
raising additional tax structures.
He said the new
commissioner would be bound to make changes and transfers to give the Service
an improved structure for results, and asked the assistant commissioners not to
see any such moves as victimisation.
"Give him the
free hand to operate within the laws," Mr Osafo-Maafo said. They applauded
when the Finance Minister told the new commissioner to consider improved
logistics and remuneration paramount issues in raising the performance of the
Service.
Brigadier Baiden
requested the assistance of the management and staff of the Service. He asked
them to not to see decisions he would take negatively, but co-operate with him
to serve to the satisfaction of the government and people of Ghana.
GRi…/
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