DO NOT STOP PAYING DUTIES -GRA WARNS IMPORTERS ANDEXPORTERS

Do not stop paying duties -GRA warns importers andexporters 


Ashanti Regional Deputy Director, Customs Department,Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr. Evans Teye Agbozo, has warned importers and exporters against the practice of circumventing procedures to avoid paying all the required fees.

Mr. Agbozo said that those who do such things will be arrestedduring the post clearance examination (PCA) and pay various fines. He was speaking at the PCA seminar organizedby the Ghana Shippers'Authority (GSA) in Kumasi on Tuesday, July 18.

His statement was in response to complaints from importers and exporters about the shortage of funds they faced after receiving APC from the GRA. PCA is a systematic review and verification of customs declarations, supporting documents and related records after the goods have been released from customs control.

Customs officers perform this procedure to ensure compliance with laws, regulations and customsprocedures. The purpose is to verify the correctness andaccuracy of information fromimporters or exporters during the customs clearance process.

It also seeks to identify any errors, omissions or errors in the customs declaration, such as incorrect valuation, incorrect classification of goods, incorrect determination of origin or discrepancies in quantity and it's the size. Mr.Agbozo explained that during the PCA, customs officials canselect different transactions to investigate or conduct random checks in the form of checks.

"They will review the relevant documents, including invoices, bills of lading, packing lists, contracts and financial records, all with the aim of verifying the accuracy and correctness of the information provided." 

Mr. Agbozo stressed that the Customs Department of the GRA is aware of the irregularityin the payment of duties and they will do everythingnecessary to ensure that the state collects the right money owed to it. The director of theGSA, Mrs. Benonita Bismarck, in her speech, said the agency's objective is to ensure that importers and exporters arewell informed to avoid anymisunderstanding between the group.

“We are here today to better understand the customs PCA system and how to do it without putting the shipper in trouble,while ensuring that the government gets the right amount of workers the ship we are doing" , he said.