Port charges under scrutiny in Ghana

Senior minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo said the measure is part of the effort by the government to significantly improve ease of doing business in Ghana, reported Graphic Online.

The senior minister said while the government was committed to creating an enabling environment for all investors, it had noted that multiple agencies at the country’s ports had arbitrarily imposed fees and charges without the approval of Parliament.

He explained that it was only parliament that could impose taxes, fees and charges and as such the government was going to take steps to ensure that all such unapproved charges were withdrawn until they had received parliamentary approval.

In March, President Akufo-Addo announced plans to reform Ghana’s import duty regime with the intent to alleviate high taxes at Ghana’s ports. He said that ports in Ghana are not competitive and the import regime in the country is too high.

By Rebecca Jeffrey