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The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) is asking the public to ignore a story attributed to the Ghana Freight Forwarders Institute, claiming that import duties have been increased.
This is because import duties have not been increased. Only Parliament has the power to impose charges that are later made legally enforceable.
Only when the fees and charges have been approved by Parliament are government ministries, agencies and departments to collect these taxes on behalf of the government.
According to Professor Alex Dodoo, GSA CEO, Parliament approved new fees and charges that the GSA must charge for the “delivery of goods and services to the public.” The GSA delayed the implementation of this due to several factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the GSA has notified the general public, including all importers and exporters, of its intention to level the tariffs approved by Parliament as of January 1, 2020.
The Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority also revealed that the fees and charges for various goods and services offered by the GSA have been kept unchanged by the 2019 Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Instrument. Some have been reduced so much like 50% and some have been adjusted up. Furthermore, he reiterated his determination to help the government improve the ease of doing business in Ghana.
“We are committed to helping companies grow, so we will do nothing to deviate from this goal,” he said and reaffirmed the focus of the GSA in its mission “to contribute to the growth of the industry, protect consumers and facilitate the trade through standards, metrology and conformity assessment ”.
On GSA’s plans, Professor Dodoo stated: “We are on our way to becoming a world-class, customer-centric standards organization and 2021 will be a year of compliance and commitment.” He therefore encouraged Ghanaians to support the Authority in the rigorous implementation of its mandate and the application of the necessary sanctions to ensure that goods and services in Ghana are of the highest possible standards and quality.
The GSA chief hinted, “As part of our ongoing commitment to protect customers and promote trade, we will engage stakeholders in the national interest and make our presence felt throughout the country, in all 16 regions and in all sectors. .
GSA is the government agency responsible for developing, publishing and promoting standards in the country.
It was established by the Standards Decree of 1973 (NRCD 173) and is also the national conformity assessment body. It ensures it through Testing, Inspection and Certification activities.
