Customs takes over classification, valuation of goods
The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) says its takeover of classification and valuation services will reduce the incidence of system manipulation by importers and the trading community.
According to officials of the division, the practice of importers and traders shopping among the destination inspection companies (DICs) in their bid to beat down revenue payment had, in the past, manipulated the Customs system and brought about data distortions.
The Assistant Commissioner at the Communications and Public Affairs Bureau of Customs, Mr Robert Nana Mensah, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that in the past traders and importers could go to two or more DICs to process their declarations and pre-arrival information.
That, he said, often led to over-invoicing and, in some cases, manipulated and distorted the trade data collection system of Customs, leading to huge losses of revenue.
Compliance
He indicated that even when the DICs were handling the classification, valuation and risk management duties on behalf of Customs, an existing caveat still required Customs approval.
Therefore, he said, with Customs now performing those roles, it would lead to a reduction in duplication across the regulatory chain.
"We expect that traders and the business community will do the right declarations to include invoices, packing lists, country of origin of imports for submission to ensure the determination of the right classification and evaluation," Mr Mensah said.
Duplication
He hinted that the assumption of the roles of the DICs also meant that importers would have to forward their documentations directly to the Customs Management Systems (CMS), unlike the situation in the previous regime when the DICs forwarded the information to enable Customs to issue the Final Classification and Valuation Report (FCVR).
"With this, documentations come to us directly, eliminating another step that could cause delay in the clearing processes," he stressed.
"We see today as a turning point in our revenue maximisation efforts and compliance with customs controls," he stated.
He said the division trained its officers and created the right framework before the takeover.
Client service
He emphasised that the division had put up contingency plans at various entry points to deal with challenges that might arise, adding that to be able to appropriately handle complaints and ensure that clients were given the best services; an elaborate customer service response unit had been put in place.
Mr Mensah said although the traffic volume for validation of documents had started on a slow note, the division expected traffic to pick up in the ensuing days.
