Comedian Michael Blackson has revealed that personnel at the Ghana Revenue Authority have explained to him why import taxes are high following his tweet about the taxes he paid for shipping goods into the country.
Speaking to Doreen Avio, he said the GRA officials explained to him how they make their calculations on goods at the port to accurately charge for taxes.
However, Mr Blackson said he stands by his opinion that the taxes are “extremely high”.
“The DHL guy that works with customs explained to me how the whole thing works, but I’m not completely satisfied with the answers or how they come up with their calculations. If they get these prices down, I think Ghana will make more money,” he said.
The comedian added that “I think some of the fees are so ridiculous that people are finding other ways to bring things in here and that is taking money out of the pocket of the country.”
This comes after Michael Blackson lamented the high taxes he paid in December 2022.
I have cousins in Ghana with no jobs and no income. Because the country lacked jobs, they wanted to open a store if I could help. I purchased about $10k of items, and when they arrived thru DHL, customs said they will need to pay $10k to retrieve them. IT MAKES NO SENSE @GhanaRevenue,” he tweeted.
But the GRA replied to his tweet explaining that: “Ghana currently uses the Harmonized System (HS) Customs Code to classify goods. Tariffs are based on value (ad valorem) or weight or volume (specific) and are subject to change. Most goods, unless they are totally exempt from customs duties, are subject to import duty, Value Added Tax (VAT), and certain other fees and charges.”
They also added that any duties imposed on imported goods are backed by law, and they are just doing their work as an authority.
“Duty on imported goods is calculated based on what the Customs Law directs. We are only doing our job. If you have any evidence of extortion, report it anywhere you are comfortable,” GRA added.
However, Michael Blackson noted that he understands there is not a huge tax system in Ghana as there is in America and hence the government has to do what they are required to raise funds, but insists that some huge taxes are “ridiculous”.
He also urged people to pay their taxes to ensure the government gets enough money to develop the country.
“I understand we don’t have a big tax system here. America lives off taxes, live off everybody working and giving money to the government we don’t have that here. People do their business and not give money to the government how is the country supposed to survive?”