The freight forwarders are currently on strike to protest implementation of the CTN which is scheduled for September 1st, 2018.
Speaking on Citi TV’s current affairs program, The Point of View, President of GIFF, Kwabena Ofosu Appiah, said the CTN policy is not useful in its current form and should therefore be reviewed.
Mr. Appiah further pointed out that the policy is only being rushed and poses a challenge to businesses.
“Why do you create a system who’s value is not useful ? Since January we have asked questions about the CTN but nobody is answering. What is the haste?All we are asking for is that if you want to do this thing, stay put , do it well so everybody moves within the ambit of certainty and predictability. We are not ready ..When you have addressed the issue of how is transshipment going to be treated…The issue of the US not allowing their electronic information to be used and how are you going to treat it, then you can think of implementation.”
Speaking on the same show, the President of the Chamber of Freight and Trade, Dennis Amfo Sefa however pointed out that the implementation of the CTN will tackle under declaration of imported goods at the ports.
“Customs believe that documents are most of the times not genuine and they want to find a way to cure it because I do not believe Customs just decided to introduce this policy,” he argued.
Background
The freight forwarders embarked on a strike from August 27, 2018 to protest against the implementation of the Cargo Tracking Notes (CTN) system at the ports.
The action was necessitated by what the businesses say is the government’s failure to heed concerns on the policy which impedes trade facilitation.
The strike means that there will be no duty collection at the ports in Takoradi and Tema.
The business associations partaking in the action include; the Customs Brokers Association of Ghana, the Association of Customs House Agents Ghana, Freight Forwarders Association of Ghana and the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana.
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Source: citinewsroom.com
