An office complex of the GRA
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has issued a statement indicating that approval has not been given to its request to review the benchmark value on some selected products.
It said although they have requested review, approval has not been given.
A letter from the GRA to the Ministry of Finance which went viral had announced that effective Monday, November 15, the removal of the 50% Benchmark Values on 32 categories of items at the ports will begin.
The letter had disclosed that the decision for the review came after an agreement reached with the business community to, as it were, generate more revenue.
It said all items under the 32 categories currently enjoying port clearing discounts will no longer enjoy that special dispensation.
The items include sugar, noodles, palm oil, roofing sheets, toilet paper, facial tissue and towel, chocolates, Portland cement, clinker, and mosquito coil.
Other items also include vehicles, ceramic tiles, aluminum products, cartons, textiles, fruit juices, among others.
But the GRA in a statement said the review has not received any policy approval for implementation.
It said such an approval would be communicated in the 2022 budget statement to be presented in parliament on November 17, 2021.
The statement said: “The attention of the Ghana Revenue Authority has been drawn to information circulating on social media with details of a list of products whose benchmark value discounts will be reviewed from Monday, 15th November 2021.
We wish to state that this document has not received policy approval for implementation. Such policy approval, when obtained will be communicated during the 2022 Budget Statement presentation scheduled for 17th November 2021.”