Mr Aaron Kanor, the Commissioner of Customs, has cautioned passengers who arrive at the airport with more than two phones on the need for GRA to tax the extra gadgets.
He said “this is where we can get our revenue”.
In an engagement with TV3 on September 2 during a visit to the Accra International Airport, the Commissioner hinted on automated measures being put in place by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority to speed up processes at the port while improving compliance, revenue mobilization and improving national security.
As part of the new regime, he mentioned the introduction of Advanced Passenger Information System and Passenger Name Records Systems to change the phase of passenger processing at the airport.
He further urged passengers to comply with the directive of passengers with – goods-to-declare to use the red channel. He revealed some non-compliant passengers who would want to evade duties and taxes often use the green channel to escape declaring goods.
Notable among the conversations in the engagement was when he explained that anyone coming into the country with more than two phones should expect to pay duties and taxes on the extra phones.
He said, “you can have a maximum of two; one for you and one for your wife”. He further stated that anything more than two will be treated as of commercial quantity and therefore taxed accordingly.
He advices passengers to inform people who remit gift through them to always add the necessary duties and taxes.
He also stressed on how expensive and valuable these iPhones and Samsung phones and to that end they cannot be swept under the radar because according to him “this is where we can get our revenue.”
By Ishmael Oduro-Acheampong
