Circle Tip-Toe Lane Association Call On Gov't To Abolish Tax On Mobile Phone

Following government�s decision to place twenty per cent (20%) tax on the importation of mobile phones and accessories, an association of mobile phone dealers at Circle Tip-toe Lane, have come out to plead with the government to abolition the move. Speaking at a press conference held, Mr. Joseph Osei Yaw Agyemang called on President Mahama to scrap the idea of tax imposition on mobile phones. Mr. Agyemang who is the president of the association, stated that the tax would adversely affect mobile phone business and invariably affect employment within the industry. He recounted that during the years no tax were placed on mobile phone handsets, the industry grew significantly. Mr. Agyemang added that the importer friendly nature of the business attracted interest and investments from major international mobile handsets manufacturers such as Nokia, LG, and Samsung etc. The reason behind plying their trade here was because Ghana had become regional hub for having smooth operations, Mr. Agyemang says. Also, Ghana is seen in the pole position of distributing mobile phone handsets to neighboring countries within West Africa. He observed that the 20% tax introduced by government would only not cripple their business, but would increase cross boarder smuggling of mobile phones; which defeats the purpose of revenue generation government expects to rake in.