What Mahama Did When He Received a Receipt for Duties and Taxes Paid on a Car at the Harbor

John Dramani Mahama, the incoming president, has voiced his displeasure with the Akufo-Addo administration's present import tariffs and charges. His response came after a concerned person forwarded him a receipt that showed the hefty fees associated with clearing a car at the port. Mahama expressed his surprise at seeing the receipt at a discussion with a group. He remarked, "I was shocked myself when someone sent me a receipt of the import duties and charges on his car that he recently cleared from the harbor."

Numerous taxes levied on imports were highlighted by the receipt's breakdown of costs. A 20% import tariff, import VAT, processing cost, ECOWAS levy, vehicle examination fee, network charges, and even a network charge relating to COVID-19 were among them. The African Union import charge, the Ghana Shippers Authority duty, the import NHIL, and the special import levy were observed as additional fees. Mahama was especially concerned about the long list of fees, claiming that one car might have up to 23 distinct levies. If it weren't for the fact that the car is brand-new, there would have been an excessive amount of taxes and levies on a single vehicle. That's too much," he said.

The remarks made by the former president coincide with continuous public criticism of Ghana's high import duties, which many feel burden the country's inhabitants and impede economic growth. Due to the combined effects of these levies, importation of vehicles—a frequent necessity for both individuals and businesses—have grown more and more pricey.

If Mahama is sworn in as president in the next elections, he promised the crowd that resolving these concerns would be his first priority. He underlined how important it is to simplify taxes and lessen Ghanaians' financial burden. "Leadership is about making people's lives easier, not harder. To ensure equity in our tax system and encourage economic growth, we need to evaluate these fees," he stated. Since then, discussions about the receipt incident have taken place on social media, with many Ghanaians expressing similar experiences and calling for changes to the import tax system in their nation.

Source: The Nation Gossiper, TikTok