Used automobile sellers within the nation are pleading with the federal government to scale back the duties paid on the port when importing automobiles to allow them to be in enterprise and proceed with their commerce.
They stated their enterprise is on the verge of being extinct because of the exorbitant tariffs they pay on the ports and this has affected their supply of livelihood.
“From the start of this yr which is January, our enterprise has been on the downturn due to the alternate charge, authorities should make sure that each enterprise within the nation have to be transacted in cedis and never {dollars}, the tendency during which the greenback dominates in main transactions within the nation is what’s hurting our enterprise,” Mr Nana Yaw Agyekum, chairman of the Kaneshie First Gentle Used Automotive Sellers advised the Graphic Enterprise.
He revealed that beforehand an obligation on some specific automobiles was GH¢50, 000 however for the reason that starting of the yr they’re charged GH¢150, 000 on the identical automobiles.
“How a lot are you going to promote such a automobile to the shopper for her or him to buy, the federal government should intervene and cut back the speed of the greenback towards the cedi,’ he acknowledged.
He disclosed that expenses on the ports have elevated into two to a few folds; as an example, in accordance with him Toyota Vitz saloon automobile that value GH¢27, 000 a yr in the past is now GH¢80, 000 to GH¢85000 as a result of the obligation has risen from GH¢3000 to 40000.
“Toyota Yaris 2008 Mannequin that used to promote for GH¢55000 just a few years in the past is now GH¢140, 000 as a result of the obligation is round GH¢70, 000 presently,” he lamented to the Graphic Enterprise whereas seated in entrance of his workplace at Kaneshie.
He pointed to the Graphic Enterprise that the automobiles paraded in entrance of his workplace have been sitting there since final yr and nobody is ready to afford them.
New increment
Mr Agyekum advised this medium that for the reason that starting of the yr there was a brand new weekly increment on the port on each Tuesday and the one rationalization they get about this canker is that the harbor is now within the fingers of a personal entity and now not for the state.
“To compound this once you don’t clear your automobile on the stipulated time given you charged an additional charge for delays, that is significantly affecting us,’ he acknowledged.
Taxes on obligation
He additional burdened that the taxes positioned on the obligation are so astronomical that one wonders if it’s a crime to import used automobiles into the nation.
“Let me offer you an instance, as an example if the obligation you’re speculated to pay on a automobile is GH¢30,000, a further GH¢80,000 in taxes are positioned on the obligation making it GH¢110,000, what is going on, the place did we go mistaken,” he famous.
He added that many younger artisans and employees within the used automobile dealership sector have abandoned the job and left the nation for greener pastures.
Exhausting to make gross sales
For Abraham Adimpong who’s the CEO of Safe Motors, he has barely bought no more than 4 automobiles this yr as a result of it’s not inexpensive to Ghanaians because of the excessive value of expenses on the ports.
He advocated for a hard and fast greenback charge for used automobile sellers within the nation to allow them make gross sales and eke out a residing from the sector.
“Mercedes Benz C-250’s obligation is GH¢110,000, whereas that of Honda C-RV is GH¢130,000 and Toyota Rav 4 2020 and 2021 editions value GH¢180,000 to clear from the ports,” he acknowledged.
He famous that due to the fluctuations within the alternate charge, they’re unable to make particular budgets for clearing automobiles on the port.
“Now the price of duties imposed on imported used automobiles is greater than 100 per cent and we’re interesting to the federal government to slash the quantity paid on the ports on used vehicles’ he acknowledged.
He maintained that for the members of the Used Automotive Sellers Associations, the expansion of the enterprise by way of revenue and loss is essentially on duties paid on the automobiles and that’s the most necessary characteristic of the affiliation.