Mr Emmanuel Kofi Nti
CUSTOMS Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) will adopt an anti-corruption stance to tackle the fraudulent conduct of recalcitrant clearing agents, importers, purported transistors and warehouse operators, Commissioner General Emmanuel Kofi Nti has announced.
According to him, this is part of the reforms to be undertaken this year at the custom warehousing, transit and re-exports regimes, while intensifying patrol duties to reduce and check smuggling and other negative activities.
Speaking at the opening of a three-day management retreat in Kumasi, Mr Nti said GRA intended to introduce the GFTrade and Temporary Vehicle Importation Monitoring System (TVIMS) to rake in high revenue.
He explained that the GFTrade was a valuation tool that enables customs to have access to the correct values of imported goods from the countries of importation.
The tool, which was acquired with support from DANIDA, also helps customs to verify values declared by importers, he added.
He continued that the development and installation of TVIMS would track imported vehicles which have overstayed as well as identify smuggled vehicles often being illegally used in the country.
“The risk management system will be enhanced more with the effective deployment of the Post Clearance Auditing Processes (PCAP),” the GRA Commissioner General noted.
He asserted there would be a focus on customs house agents and freight forwarders generally as well as the shipping lines to ensure that manifests, bills of lading, invoices and other trade documentations are not manipulated.
“Recalcitrant clearing agents will be banned from doing business with customs,” he warned and added that corrupt customs officers would also be sanctioned, if they are found to have connived with the clearing agents.
On client service, Mr Nti stated that the DTRD operations would be put to severe test this year with the Government’s implementation of some major policies such as excise tax stamp, introduction of the electronic point of sale device, tax amnesty, and voluntary disclosure procedures among others.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi