Franklin Cudjoe, president of the policy think tank IMANI Africa, has bemoaned Ghana's onerous import taxes and duties.
Franklin Cudjoe questioned the justification for paying import duty that was more than half the value of the imported good in a post on the microblogging site Twitter. He asserts that Ghana's import tax is only a crime with political motivation.
"How can you spend GHS 114,000 for a car in another country and over GHS 74,000 in taxes merely to have it ready for use? "This is state-sponsored violence," said Franklin Cudjoe in a tweet sent on his Twitter account.
He continued by saying that the phenomenon significantly explains the practice of tax evasion at the nation's numerous ports and borders.
Another section of the tweet stated, "This is why importers conspire with customs inspectors to dodge taxes.
The Association of Customs House Agents, Ghana (ACHAG) voiced their displeasure with the government earlier this year in January over the total reversal of the discount policy on import charges at the ports.
Yaw Kyei, the association's president, spoke on behalf of the group and said that the organization is dissatisfied with the way that commerce is being badly impacted by exchange rate fluctuation. He said that the discount scheme provided importers with a buffer.
In order to promote greater trade, the Ghanaian government, through the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, reduced tariffs due on all general items by 50% and cars by 30% in 2019.
reduce the financial burden on the trading and consumer publics and ensure tax compliance. In 2021, this discount was further decreased to 30% and 10%, respectively. Nevertheless, the discounting policy will no longer be in effect as of January 1, 2023.
Franklin Cudjoe tweeted the following:
How can you spend GHS 114,000 on a car in another country and pay close to 74,000 in taxes merely to get it ready for use? This is thuggery that the state is funding. Because of this, importers work with customs officials to avoid paying taxes.
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