TAGG berates GRA’s statement on custom monitoring taskforce

TAGG berates GRA’s statement on custom monitoring taskforce

GRA to misinform the public against the trading community. “Unfortunately, GRA misled the public into believing that traders do not follow tax regulations and engage in smuggling under declaration, misdescription, and concealment,” Portions of a statement issued by TAGG read.

According to them, their concerns over harassment and extortion were not addressed by GRA. “In this context, business associations’ complaints about extortion and harassment were not addressed. We would like to take this issue one at a time and ask the Commissioner General and the Commissioner of Customs if indeed all of these containers were able to evade their notice and leave the port, only to be arrested later and lauded by Ghanaians, as they prove in their release statement with examples,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, TAGG has warned traders would never cooperate with GRA taskforce if they continue operating with such impunity.

“Between 2000 and 2008, Ghana served as a trading hub for a number of bordering countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast. As a result of so-called GRA taskforce using our highways for harassment and extortion, these countries are steadily lowering their flow of doing business in Ghana.

All we are asking is that, if GRA chooses to rely on these monitoring teams as they claim, they should do so without victimising innocent importers and traders who would be subjected to extortion, intimidation, and harassment at the end of GRA’s legitimate mandate,” TAGG urged.

Story by Fada Amakye from Daily Sun106.com