A Member of the New Patriotic (NPP) Communications Team, Mr Bernard Oduro Nyarko, says Ghanaians should not blame the Government for the increase in import duties but blame Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war.
As a businessman, he said he pays twice of import duties he used to pay a few years ago.
However, Mr Benard Oduro Nyarko said despite the current challenges at the Port, the Ghanaian Government cannot be blamed but the Russia-Ukraine war.
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He said this on Atinka TV’s current Affairs show, the Agenda with Nana Yaw Fianko.
“We should only blame the government for not widening the net of our income rather than increasing taxes and duties on organization importation. Eventually, our companies and organizations will collapse and the government will lose the little income it gains because it has no source of income other than taking taxes. We know that!,” he said.
He raised concerns about how every organization at Tema harbour has their own shipping rate and duty charges.
The NPP Communications Team Member questioned what the Ghana Shippers Authority was doing about the situation and what they were actually doing at the harbour, while organisations charged their own rates which was gradually killing Ghanaian businesses.
“It is about time the Shippers Authority sat down and contributed something to put those organizations on track at the harbour. The Government can’t be blamed, ” he said.
Meanwhile, he said although the Minister for Transport, Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah was working, it is about time he also sat up.
“If importation transport ceased, the Tema harbour would collapse,” he said.
Mr Bernard Oduro Nyarko said,”It was very sad when I found only one shipping container in the whole Tema Harbour Company. This is a real fact that businessmen are losing and the government needs to sit down with the organizations
He added, “Import duties are a separate topic element that causes company failure; import taxes are a separate aspect, and NHIS has another category.” However, we implore the government to examine all of these categories and take action.”
Ghana| Evander Darko Agyemang
