Be specific on manifesto promises on port duties, taxes – Union to flagbearers

The Ghanaian Diaspora Union in Europe (GDUE), has asked all presidential candidates to come clear on their promises to reduce charges at the country's ports to reduce the cost of doing business.The Union said it would track and hold the party or individual accountable come January 2025.Flagbearers of the two leading political parties - the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have both promised to reform fees and charges at the ports to ease the financial burden on importers and enhance business operations.While the former President, John Mahama, flagbearer of the NDC, has promised to rationalise fees at the ports and scrap needless charges that affect importers, as well as end illegal and excessive shipping fees, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, flagbearer of the NPP, has promised to harmonise port charges to align with regional ports, particularly Lome-Togo.Addressing a news conference in Accra, on Tuesday, Mr Ibrahim Isshak, President of the GDUE, said such promises were too vague and general.He said as a Union it was concerned about the excessive import duties and taxes at the country's ports of entry, stressing that the high fees were crippling many businesses and forcing several members out of business.'These measures, instead of fostering growth, are stifling trade and entrepreneurship among the diaspora community, who seek to contribute to Ghana's economy,' he explained.Mr Isshak, therefore, urged the flagbearers to be specific on what they intended to do to reduce the charges, calling for a 50 per cent reduction on import duties.Additionally, he called for the removal of 'nuisance taxes' such as processing fee, network charge, network charge VAT, Ghana Shippers Authority SNF Fee, GHS Disinfection Fee, Special Import Levy, Import Levy, Ghana Export-Import Bank Levy, Network Charge GETFund Levy, Inspection Fee and the Covid-19 Recovery Levy to reduce the burden on its members.He also asked the flagbearers to clarify the specific programmes and opportunities they had earmarked to advance the interests of the diaspora.He explained that with an estimated three million Ghanaians living in the diaspora, they played critical role in the nation's economic development, adding that remittances from the diaspora supported more than 600,000 families in Ghana, improving access to education, healthcare, and general well-being.According to the Bank of Ghana, remittance inflow in 2023 amounted to US$4.8 billion, exceeding the combined value of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the country.President of the GDUE, said those funds did not only reduce poverty but bolstered the nation's foreign currency reserves, helped to reduce external debt, and stabilised the balance of payments.'As a diaspora community with significant influence and investment potential, we are eager to contribute more actively to Ghana's growth,' he indicated.'We want to know how you (presidential candidates) plan to support Ghanaian diaspora business people and ens ure that our contributions are recognised and valued,' he added.GDUE was established in 2018 to unite Ghanaians in the diaspora, foster cultural pride, economic empowerment, and social cohesion.It has a membership of 5,800, including Ghanaian business people across the world, including America, Asia, and the Caribbean.Source: Ghana News Agency