Mahama announces end to blanket import tax waivers
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that government will no longer grant blanket tax waiver exemptions on import duties, indicating that future exemptions will be assessed individually based on merit.
According to him, institutions importing specialised equipment, particularly in the health sector, can still apply for exemptions, which government will consider favourably.
“So, if you order any medical equipment, you can apply for exemption on that equipment, and I can assure you that we’ll look at it favourably,” he stated.
President Mahama made the remarks on Thursday in Accra during the commissioning of the Ghana National Association of Teachers’ (GNAT) newly installed Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography (PET-CT) scan facility at the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre.
The PET-CT scan facility is a modern imaging technology used in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases such as cancer by combining metabolic and structural imaging information.
The Sweden Ghana Medical Centre, regarded as one of West Africa’s leading oncology centres, was acquired by GNAT in 2020.
The event was chaired by retired Court of Appeal Judge, Justice Isaac Douse, who appealed to government on behalf of GNAT for tax waivers on imported medical equipment.
Touching on teacher welfare, President Mahama revealed that government, in collaboration with GNAT and other stakeholders including Republic Bank, State Housing Company Limited and Tema Development Company Limited, would soon establish a GH¢3 billion housing initiative for teachers.
He explained that the programme would consist of two major housing schemes — the Teacher Dabre Housing Project and the Mortgage Housing Project.
According to the President, the Teacher Dabre Housing Project seeks to provide accommodation for teachers within school campuses to reduce the burden of commuting long distances to work.
“We want to make sure that when teachers are posted to a school, they’re able to get accommodation to live on the campus rather than commute from town to school every day,” he said.
President Mahama further disclosed that the second initiative would focus on providing affordable mortgage housing for professionals, especially teachers.
“We’re going to set up a GH¢3 billion fund. Republic Bank will contribute, the Government of Ghana will contribute, GNAT will contribute, and we will give the money to SHC, TDC and credible real estate developers to build the houses,” he stated.
He added that the houses would be priced in Ghana cedis instead of dollars to make them more affordable for Ghanaian workers.
The President noted that members of GNAT and other professional groups would be able to acquire the houses through mortgage arrangements, with payments deducted gradually from their salaries until retirement.
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