Abossey-Okai Spare Parts dealers commend President

GNA – Members of the Abossey-Okai Spare Parts dealers Association have commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for abolishing the 10 per cent import duties on spare parts.

They have also pledged to embrace government’s proposed automation and paperless policy to reduce the congestion and tension that had hindered early clearance of goods at the ports.

Mr Clement Boateng, Public Relations Officer of the Association, who gave the commendation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra said since its implementation two weeks ago, prices of spare parts have been stabilised.

In his 2017 budget presentation to Parliament in March, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance announced the abolition of the 10 per cent import duties on spare parts.

The reduction, government envisaged would reduce the burden on importers and subsequently bring relief to the transport sector.

Mr Boateng said although most of their goods were cleared before the implementation two weeks ago, the executive members would on Thursday, August 10 hold a valid meeting and later in the third week of August educate theirs members on the mode of price reduction on their goods.

On challenges since the implementation, the PRO mentioned upliftment of values on goods and delays on the clearance as some of the teething problems.

He said the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority was now raising the values on their goods far above what was done by the disbanded Destination Inspection Companies.

He explained that previously members spent a maximum of three days to receive their Final Classification Valuation Report that enabled them to clear their goods, and the current system was operating within a minimum of one week thereby increasing the cost of clearance.

Mr Boateng expressed the hope that the implementation of the paperless automation would speed up activities to reduce the financial burdens of the dealers.

The PRO appealed to the government to check the fall of the Cedi against major currencies such as the Euro since most of them imported their parts from the European countries.

He said although the Cedi had stabilised against the United States Dollar, the same could not be said of the escalating Euro and United Kingdom Pound.

GNA