The New Patriotic Party government in its 2017 budget statement announced plans to remove import duties on automobile spare parts to help reduce the prices of vehicle spare parts in the country.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, presenting the 2017 budget statement explained that this was part of an initiative to improve the ease of doing business for importers in the automobile industry.
This meant that buyers of automobile parts will enjoy relief on vehicle spare parts following the abolishment of the import duties on spare parts.
But the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana said the government never abolished import duties on auto spare parts as announced by the Finance Minister.
Speaking on A1 Radio ahead of the Mid-Year budget statement presentation today, the Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Samson Asaki Awingobit stated that “as we speak and I can tell you with authoritative that since they came both 2017 first middle budget which saw the abolishment of the one percent special levy, which saw the abolishment of the Abossey Okai spare parts dealers importations. At the verge of implementation, the government says that Abossey Okai should come together with which is a spare part and which one is not spare parts and so today if you go to buy a car tail light, if you go to buy a car mirror; these are not spare parts if you are buying battery these are not spare parts. So what is a part that if I have my car and my car broke down and I’m going to buy, you say that is not a spare part? So that was a palpable lie, they deceived us.”
Mr. Awingobit advanced that the government “strategically knocked our heads against the Ghanaian community that they have abolished the taxes yet cost of parts were still on the high level. The one percent special levy they said it was abolished, it wasn’t abolished. We have one percent in 2017, in 2018 it was brought back as part of the financial sector recovery levy.”
According to him, Importers pay import duties including one percent to the state as a result of the financial sector clean-up. Government he added has increased so many duties at the Ports including GETFUND and Health Insurance.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Osuman Kaapore Tahiru|Ghana
