- The association and some other members of the trading community held a maiden engagement with the government to look at the way forward for the implementation of the reversal of the benchmark value on imports policy.
The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) says it is optimistic of fruitful deliberations with government representatives on the way forward on the proposed reversal of the benchmark values on imports.
The IEAG and some other members of the trading community held a maiden engagement with the government to look at the way forward for the implementation of the reversal of the benchmark value on imports policy.
Speaking with Asaase Business, Samson Asaki Awingobit, the executive secretary of the importers and exporters association said the meeting was promising and was hopeful the talks will end in their favor.
“On the 6th of January, we met with the government concerning the benchmark values. We had issued statements calling on the government that we were not properly engaged with the GRA, all that we saw was that the GRA stated that they were implementing the reversal of the benchmark values.”
Way forward
“So, we had the first sitting and we had all the various representatives of the industry including the ministry of trade, GRA, custom division and other stakeholders. We ably presented our issues against the implementation of the reversal of the benchmark values.
…at the end of the day, the government representative then said that after meeting us, the government will meet other groups and then set a date for the final decision and announcement by the government regards the way forward,” he stated.
Full interview below
Suspension of planned reversal
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, directed the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to suspend its planned implementation of the government’s policy directive on the reversal of the reduction of values of imports on selected items, known as “benchmark values”, from 4 January 2022.
Asaase News sources familiar with the president’s directive said that President Akufo-Addo had asked for the policy to be delayed to allow for wider consultations. It is also in order that the complaints of traders opposed to the reversal be “sufficiently considered before a decision on implementation and its timing is finally taken”, they say.
The sources further indicated that consultation has begun and the expectation is that by 17 January greater understanding of the impact and essence of the policy will have been achieved among stakeholders.
Do not be distracted
The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has urged the government to remain unwavering in its decision to implement the reversal of the benchmark value discount policy.
The AGI argued that maintaining the policy in its current form would lead to the collapse of local industries and job losses.
AGI said the government should remain focused on its Industrial Transformation Agenda and unwavering in its decision to implement the reversal of the benchmark discount policy.
Nicholas Brown
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