President Elect, John Dramani Mahama has expressed his disapproval of the current import duties and taxes under the Akufo-Addo administration. His reaction followed a receipt sent to him by a concerned citizen, highlighting the steep charges incurred when clearing a vehicle at the port.
During a meeting with a gathering, Mahama shared his shock upon reviewing the receipt. “A person sent me a receipt of the import duties and charges on his car he recently cleared from the harbour, and I was shocked myself,” he said.
The breakdown of the charges listed on the receipt underscored the numerous levies imposed on imports. These included a 20% import duty, import VAT, processing fee, ECOWAS levy, vehicle examination fee, network charges, and even a COVID-19-related network charge. Other fees such as the Ghana Shippers Authority levy, Import NHIL, special import levy, and the African Union import levy were also noted.
Mahama expressed particular concern over the extensive list of charges, which he said amounted to as many as 23 different levies for one car. “If not that the overweight death penalty is zero because it’s a new car, the duties and levies on one car would have been overwhelming. This is too much,” he remarked.
The former president’s comments come amidst ongoing public criticism of Ghana’s high import taxes, which many believe stifle economic activity and burden citizens. Vehicle imports, a common necessity for businesses and individuals, have increasingly become unaffordable due to the cumulative effects of these taxes.
Mahama assured the gathering that addressing these issues would be a priority if he is sworn in as president in the upcoming elections. He emphasized the need to streamline taxes and reduce the financial strain on Ghanaians.
“Leadership is about making life easier for the people, not harder. We must review these charges to promote economic growth and ensure fairness in our taxation system,” he said.
The receipt incident has since sparked conversations on social media, with many Ghanaians sharing similar experiences and urging for reforms in the country’s import tax regime.
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Source: The Nation Gossiper, TikTok