Remove miscellaneous fees on consignment - GNCCI leads campaign
The President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso I, has called for the removal of a fee charged as miscellaneous on consignment due for clearance at the ports.
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He explained that such a fee, which was said to be covering the cost of photocopy and bribes to customs officials, inflates the rising cost of doing business at the ports and ,therefore, needed to be thoroughly reviewed and scrapped.
“The miscellaneous component adversely impede the ease of doing business and was at the same time robbing shippers of their working capital,” Nana Dankawoso I said this in interview with the Graphic Business after a forum in Accra.
“Our interaction at the ports shows that miscellaneous covers cost of photocopying and bribes. If agents are being paid their agency fees, photocopying costs at maximum price of GH¢20, how come miscellaneous component ends us taking a significant share of the total cost on consignment?” he asked.
He also mentioned that in the wake of the paperless initiative which took effect on September 1 this year, the government must take steps to address the seven days free rents shippers were presume to be enjoying when clearing goods at the ports.
According to him, in reality, shippers are not enjoying the seven free days as these are being eroded by weekends, public holidays and other activities.
“The issue of the seven days rent free needs to be reviewed. Effectively, the seven days rent free should commensurate the working days at the ports,” he said.
Anomaly causes delays
He explained that this anomaly causes delays and congestion at the ports and also contribute to the increasing demurrage and rent and it was immensely impeding the ease of doing business at the ports.
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Shippers who imported containerised cargo into the country for the first half of this year paid about US$ 37 million as demurrage to shipping lines for undue grounding and detention of containers after the mandatory free periods.
About GH¢19 million was also paid to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as rent because of the inability of shippers to clear their goods from the ports after the allowable seven-day free period.
Data from the Research Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) has showed.
Last year, for example, shippers paid an estimated amount of US$100 million as container demurrage and rent to shipping lines operating at various ports in the country.
A situation, shippers explained contributed to the high cost of imported goods, congestion at the port, excessive loss of revenue, inefficiencies at the port and others.
Also frequent system breakdown, delays from service providers, bureaucratic operational procedures and unreliable clearing agents are some but major causes of the container demurrage at the port.
Statistics indicate that over 80 per cent of consignees are unable to clear their cargos at the port within the seven days allowable time resulting in container demurrage.
Nana Dankawose I stressed the need for collaboration with their stakeholders to promote trade facilitation, as private sector players, especially those who took loans to clear their goods, depended on efficiency at the ports to successfully build their businesses. — GB