Incentive packages for CEPS officials approved

Oseikojokrom (W/R), Oct. 17, GNA - The Government has given approval for the Revenue Agency Governing Board to run a special account to offer incentive packages to officials of Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to enhance effective revenue collection. Mr. Harry Owusu, Executive Secretary of the Board announced this on Thursday at Oseikojokrom in the Western Region at a staff durbar to welcome him and Brigadier Richardson E. Baiden, CEPS Commissioner, who are on a four-day working tour of eight border stations of the Service at the western frontier.

He said the account, opened with the Bank of Ghana since October 1 this year, would cater for, among others, informants' awards, drawback and importers' refund.

The three signatories to the account are the Commissioner of CEPS, a representative of the Ministry of Finance and the Executive Secretary of the Board.

Mr. Owusu cautioned the staff not to compromise on the nefarious activities of some people to smuggle goods into the country, thus robbing the nation of expected revenue.

He advised them to work honestly, diligently and professionally so that the bad perception held by the public about officials of the Service could be erased.

The board and management of CEPS have evolved an exercise, code-named "The Point of Sale Check", under which a task force comprising members of CEPS, other security agencies, Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance will inspect markets to arrest offenders and confiscate goods that do not have proper receipts issued by CEPS at the point of entry, the executive secretary added.

Mr Owusu did not rule out a possible collusion of some officers of CEPS at some illegal points of entry and warned those in the practice to quit it, as they would not be spared when caught.

"You came to meet CEPS and you must bear in mind that the Service will remain if you are kicked out because of your selfish interests, hence you must be wise enough not to succumb to temptations and lose your job just because of one or two smugglers."

He announced that the government had given approval for the provision of a number of vehicles for the Service, including motorbikes, to enhance efficiency in its operations.

On transfers, Mr. Owusu reiterated that the exercise was bound to take place, but advised, "Whoever will be affected should not regard it as a punitive measure but rather a way to develop one in his or her profession as a worker in the Service.

Commenting on the request by the staff for the re-introduction of the End-Of-Service Benefit (ESB), Mr. Owusu noted that it remained the government's prerogative as to whether or not to re-introduce the policy as it depended on the ability of the staff to generate significant revenue.

Mr. Owusu, whose duty regime also covers the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Value Added Tax (VAT) and the Department of National Lotteries (DNL), explained that the ability to pay a scheme as ESB depended greatly on funding.

Now that CEPS is self-financing, it stands to reason that if the staffs are calling for the re-introduction of the Scheme, then they have to step up revenue collection, he added.

Mr Owusu noted that the Service used between 67 and 70 percent of its total revenue on salaries, leaving a small percentage to cater for other areas, adding that "from that point of reasoning, it is envisaged that management of CEPS will be confronted with monetary problems if it should readily yield to the workers' appeal for the re-introduction of the ESB now."

"As a self-financing operator, the quantum of revenue collection will determine ESB approval in your collective agreement in future". Brigadier Baiden called on the staffs to regard the last quarter of the cocoa season "as your cocoa season in terms of revenue collection" and advised them to arrange for informants to help them in their work. He said 428 applicants had been listed to be recruited as staff of the Service.

At a forum, a staff called for the uniformity of valuation of commissions on imported goods since a disparity in the determination of such valuation at the various border station affected revenue. In a response Mr. Owusu said by the mandate of ECOWAS, countries of origin had no right to alter or tamper with values.

Mr. Owusu and Brigadier Baiden, accompanied by Mr. E. D. Larnyoh, Assistant Commissioner for CEPS in charge of Brong Ahafo also visited Sampa, Kwameseikrom, Atuna, Gonokrom, Kofibadukrom, Yaakrom, and Nkrankwanta where they addressed similar staff durbars.