Ms Christiana Akoto-Bamfo, Sector Commander, Accra Collection, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Customs Division has called for the development of a comprehensive warehouse manual to be used by both officers and operators in the sector.
She said the country also needed reforms and modernization in implementing the customs bonded warehousing regime.
Ms Akoto-Bamfo made the call at a tax education seminar on the theme “Revenue Mobilisation and Trade facilitation; the Role of GRA, Customs Division and Stakeholders” in Accra on Wednesday.
The seminar educated stakeholders on tax compliance and sensitised them on trade facilitation systems in their business operations for quality service delivery.
Speaking on warehousing regime, Ms Akoto Bamfo explained that it was a Customs regime by which imported goods were stored under Customs control in a government or private bonded warehouse, without payment of import duty and other taxes on goods at the entry point, until the goods are entered for home consumption.
The Sector Commander said unauthorized removal of goods from a custom bonded warehouse was unacceptable and warned that warehouse operators engaged in that act would be punished.
Ms Akoto-Bamfo said companies stood to benefit enormously from warehouse regime such as direct cost savings and holding of large stock of goods.
She said deferment of revenue payments represented a great loss of revenue to the state.
Mr Godwin Attoh, the Assistant Commissioner of GRA-Customs Division, Legal speaking on “Bonds and Customs Law, called for intense public education on Customs laws relating to suspense regimes.
He mentioned unauthorized removal of goods from Customs bonded warehouses and inadequate staffing of the Customs Division among others as some challenges facing the sector.
