The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has deplored the increasing use of fake trade documents by some importers for declaring goods at the ports.
The Authority explains that trend by these importers is part of efforts to evade customs duties and taxes.
This follows an intelligence in February 2023 on some two companies and importers that had falsified trade documents on their bills of lading in clearing goods from the Tema Port.
Speaking to some journalists in Accra, Commissioner of Customs at the GRA, Alhadji Seidu Idrisu Iddisa said his outfit is in the process of prosecuting the importers and to retrieve more than 10 million cedis in taxes on the goods.
“The Ghana Revenue Authority has noted with great concern an emerging practice where some custom house agents and the importers connived with some shipping lines 5o falsify on trade documents especially the invoices and misdescribe the goods to obtain priority clearance leading to payment of lesser duties to the state,” he said.
“We are currently investigating both the shipping lines and the agents and Importers to find out about the degree of collaborations that took place,” he added.