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Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Wednesday, said government would deal decisively with syndicates involved in the diversion of transit goods intended for the landlocked countries into the local market, in order to evade payment of taxes.

He described those elements as “nation wreckers”, noting that, the Government would not spare them as the President had declared 2019 as an “action year” to generate sufficient revenue to support the country’s infrastructural development.

Mr Titus-Glover, also the Member of Parliament for Tema East, said this when he addressed stakeholders in the maritime trade and transport industry at a sensitization seminar on transit trade in Accra.
He said government was determined to galvanise the necessary arsenals to curtail smuggling of transit cargo, saying; ”Let me warn you, if you’re caught for wrongdoing, don’t call me to beg for you”.

The event was held on the theme: “Streamlining Processes for the Growth of Transit Trade in Ghana”, which sought to redefine operational requirements and re-emphasise effective customs control within the dual objective of revenue assurance and trade facilitation.

It was organised by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority to also solicit ideas from stakeholders in the maritime industry to attract shipping lines to Ghana’s Ports and strategise ways to halt diversion of transit goods.
The event attracted Chief Executive Officers of state institutions and representatives from the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, National Security and Haulage Association, as well as delegations from the Shippers’ Councils of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.

Mr Titus-Glover noted that all the countries within the Gulf of Guinea, including Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast were competing with Ghana for transit cargo so that they could collect revenues for their respective governments.

He, therefore, charged the various state agencies at the country’s ports to be alert and halt individuals and syndicates evading taxes.

He assured of government’s commitment to implement policies that would aid in increasing revenue generation, and asked the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority to continue providing escort for transit cargo, while tracking devices monitor them for safe delivery to the country of destination.

The Deputy Minister said Ghana had signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Burkina Faso and Niger for the setting up of desks at the country’s ports to collect taxes on transit cargo and announced that very soon another MoU would be signed with the Malian authorities.