By Abdul Salam Sule,
Ghanadot
Accra, April 29, Ghanadot -Records
from the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) show that
smuggling of commercial goods is on the ascendancy in the
various border areas across the
country and the country is losing $10
million every year.
Some of the items smuggled include cars, textiles and cigarettes
and they are first brought to the port of
Lome from where they are smuggled into the country
through the various borders in the country.
Smuggling of textiles into the country for instance has affected
the textile industry and it came as no surprise when the Juapong
Textile Industry was closed down in the year 2007. The smuggled
textiles from the Lome port are being sold at a cheaper price as
compared to the locally manufactured ones.
As is happening in the textile industry, smuggling of tobacco
products into the country has increased significantly. At the
end of 2000, the market share for contraband cigarettes was
about 5% and this has increased to 15%
by the end of 2005.
The smuggling has frustrated
government tof raising more revenues
for the state through taxation goods, but
since these goods are brought in via the smuggling route the
government has been unable to collect taxes on them.
The increase in the smuggling of commercial imports into the
country had been blamed on some officials of CEPS who take money
from importers and allow them entry.
The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service has however promised
to halt the influx of illegal smuggling of goods into the
country. In a statement issued in Accra, it has directed that,
all commercial imports into the country from the port of Lome
should enter Ghana through the Aflao border post only.
"Consequently, no Customs, Excise and Preventive Service
frontier, other than Aflao will allow entry and clearance of
commercial consignments in transit to Ghana from the port of
Lome", the statement said.
The statement further said, CEPS was entreating all importers,
the business community and the general public to take note and
comply accordingly.
Ghanadot
