The Exporters & Importers Association has chided the Akufo-Addo-led administration over the manner in which it is implementing policies regarding their business.

Describing it as “haphazard”, Executive Secretary of the Association, Asaki Awingobit said government’s action is hurting businesses in the country.

“You [government] came in and in less than two years policies that we asked your predecessor to stop…ASHI (Advance Shipment Information System) was stopped during John Maham’s time, G-CAP (Ghana Conformity Assessment Programme) was stopped during John Mahama’s time, Tax Stamp was stopped during John Mahama’s time.

“But in less than two years and you are implementing everything haphazardly…you who even came to tell us that before anything you’ll consult the business community, today you are doing a different thing,” Awingobit told Joy News’ Komla Adom in an interview.

He was commenting on the government’s implementation of the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) which started today, October 15, 2018.

The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) served notice of the implementation and said “from Monday, importers whose imports, from records 36 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUS) per year will be required to obtain a CTN Number in the country of export.

Commissioner-General of GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti

This means any importer who imports less than 36 TEUs per year is exempt from CTN compliance.

Also, businesses that import more than 36 TEUs per year but can demonstrate that the nature of their imports and their turnovers make them small importers will also be exempt.

The Exporters & Importers are not pleased with this development. They fear that the policy will be a drain on their already struggling finances.

Awingobit wants government to suspend the policy, failure of this will compel them to pass on any extra charges which consumers must bear.

“Let me say that any frustration, harassment any importers will go through and payment that any importer will do, we will pass it on to the consumer and the ordinary Ghanaian will bear the consequences.”

He threatened that the members of the Association will have no choice than to vote the Akufo-Addo administration out of power if it continues to overburden them with policies of this nature.

“They should ask themselves what sent NDC into opposition. The same thing can happen to them. You cannot make Ghana UK overnight. Four years in government cannot make Ghana US.

“Why are you not going into other areas,” Awingobit asked adding, “is it only with importers that they can make the money to implement their policies…we have other sectors that they can go and make money so why is that anytime government wants to make money it is the ports.”

The Association also believes the GRA is overstepping its powers on the matter.

Awingobit says the GRA cannot be the one implementing the policy on behalf of government and accused its officials of smuggling what he calls 'foreign' inputs into a joint document signed by the trade associations to mislead the president into passing the CTN arrangement.

“The law that I know that is prevailing as we speak is an LI 2190 which is an Act given to the Shippers Authority to implement it. In our governance structure, the Shippers Authority is under the Ministry of Transport and it is not Ministry of Transport that is implementing this policy so GRA is not under the Ministry of Transport

“From the day we signed that document last year, they have shortchanged and smuggled in foreign material and it is with that that they want to convince the president that this has been the recommendation, which we didn’t do.”

They have deceived the president”, Awingobit stressed urging the President Akufo-Addo to invite them to the Jubilee House so they can present the real document to him.

“It is total deceit and I would want to see GRA backing off because of the way they want to implement the policy,” he added.