{"id":60706,"date":"2023-11-27T06:41:25","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T06:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/uncategorized\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality"},"modified":"2023-11-27T07:29:54","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T07:29:54","slug":"giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality","title":{"rendered":"GIFF Describes GRA\u2019s \u2018Reference Price List\u2019 As An Illegality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Ghana. <\/strong><\/span>The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) has described as an illegality the decision of the Customs division of GRA to create a certain minimum value or reference price list for valuation purposes.<\/b><\/p>\n

Making reference to a memo emanating from the Board of GRA to the Customs Division that \u201cNo discounts, variations or acceptance of values below the reference price list should be given on any item or product,\u201d the Institute said it directly contradicts international trade agreements, particularly those under the World Trade Organization (WTO), Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).<\/p>\n

Addressing a press conference in Tema, the President of GIFF, Edward Akrong said several importers have been saddled with this imposition even though they have provided all evidence of the genuineness of their values.<\/p>\n

He said although valuation has been a sore point in doing business in the Ports, this has been further exacerbated by a recent imposition of a \u2018reference price list\u2019 for the valuation of goods by the Board of Directors of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of this adds to the high cost of doing business in our ports and also a direct effect on the cost of goods in our markets. The other major effect of this policy is that it affords importers to transfer funds illegally,\u201d he said and urged a reconsideration of this policy to align with international standards, to foster a conducive environment for trade.<\/p>\n

He called for a collaborative effort between the Ghanaian government and industry stakeholders to address challenges facing the freight forwarding business.<\/p>\n

This he said will create an environment that does not only comply with international standards but also promotes the seamless flow of goods, fostering economic growth for the nation.<\/p>\n

Mr. Akrong averred that a full implementation of the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT) is hindering the smooth flow of goods across borders and impeding the efficiency of the country\u2019s logistics and supply chain operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese operational bottlenecks have been occasioned by the implementation of the SIGMAT which causes extreme discomfort and escalates the cost of doing business at the entry points,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

The GIFF President said the Customs division has made the SIGMAT mandatory for direct exports into Ghana to be bonded, a situation which is an anathema to customs export procedure leaving every export declaration hanging as though the process has not been completed thus creating room for these same officers blocking the systems of the customs house agent at will for what seems to be an incomplete operation.<\/p>\n

Touching on what he described as the negative effect of the exemptions law, he said the recent passage of the Exemptions Act, 2022 (Act 1083) by Parliament has inadvertently created obstacles in the clearance process, affecting not only private enterprises but also hindering the clearance of government cargoes at our ports.<\/p>\n

\u201cData available shows for example that Ghana Cocobod and the Cocoa Marketing Board for the last 3 quarters of 2023 have a total of over 910 TEUs on the Uncleared Cargo List. This is mainly due to lack of exemptions. The sad part is the accrual of demurrage charges to the shipping lines, which is an enormous burden on the government,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

He advocated for a thorough review of this legislation to ensure that it serves its intended purpose without obstructing the essential movement of goods, particularly those crucial to government operations.<\/p>\n

Mr. Akrong expressed worry that repeated calls for the harmonization of shipping line operations and charges to reflect equity and fairness has not received the needed attention from the Ministry of Transport.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe as an association have resolved to invoke the subregional mandate of businesses and allied stakeholders to nib this canker in the bud in the days ahead,\u201d he charged.<\/p>\n

He called for a collaborative approach between the government and industry stakeholders to formulate policies that are not only responsive to current global dynamics but also supportive of the growth and sustainability of the freight forwarding sector.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Ghana<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Ghana. The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) has described as an illegality the decision of the Customs division of GRA to create a certain minimum value or reference price list for valuation purposes. Making reference to a memo emanating from the Board of GRA to the Customs Division that \u201cNo discounts, variations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":60705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[5092,5096,429],"class_list":["post-60706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-ghana","tag-ghana"],"yoast_head":"\nGIFF Describes GRA\u2019s \u2018Reference Price List\u2019 As An Illegality - Ghana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) has described as an illegality the decision of the Customs division ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GIFF Describes GRA\u2019s \u2018Reference Price List\u2019 As An Illegality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) has described as an illegality the decision of the Customs division ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ghana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-27T06:41:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-27T07:29:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/ghana\/sites\/18\/2023\/11\/sm_1701057354.181305.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"408\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"GIFF Describes GRA\u2019s \u2018Reference Price List\u2019 As An Illegality\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-27T06:41:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-27T07:29:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality\"},\"wordCount\":680,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/ghana\/sites\/18\/2023\/11\/sm_1701057354.181305.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Ghana\",\"ghana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/giff-describes-gras-reference-price-list-as-an-illegality\",\"name\":\"GIFF Describes GRA\u2019s \u2018Reference Price List\u2019 As An Illegality - 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