A group called Good Governance Advocacy Group Ghana is accusing the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) of stepping beyond its mandate with the implementation of the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) policy.
According to the group, GRA does not have the legal right to award the Advance Shipment Information contract to cargo tracking note for implementation.
Good Governance Advocacy Group Ghana (GGAGG) also believes that the process with which the sole sourcing of CTN Ghana Limited by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was done constitutes an illegality since the process did not follow the public procurement act 2003 (ACT 663).
Speaking on Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Anopa Kasapa on Anopa Kasapa Monday, the executive director of the group, Listowell Nana Kusi-Poku said the GRA has breach on the laws of parliament and that of procurement in awarding the contract to CTN Ghana.
“Ghana Shippers` Authority are the only body mandated to oversee issues that has to do with the port, whether import or export. This mandate was given to them in 2012 by the parliament of Ghana LI 21/91 and apart from them nobody has the right to again in issues that has to do with maritime.
“What the GRA is engage in amounts to corruption in its highest form, apart from CTN Ghana, the GRA did not call any other company for tender as compared to what the Ghana Shippers` Authority did by calling international company to put in tender” he added.
Listowell Nana Kusi-Poku said “If the GRA thinks its powers are not enough in its discharge of duties, then they should go back to parliament and ask parliament to amend the laws to allow them take up some extra responsibility but as it is now GRA has no power to implement the CTN policy.”
Meanwhile, the GRA will begin implementation of the Cargo Tracking Notes (CTN) policy today, Monday, October 15, 2018, despite a lawsuit filed by an aggrieved freight forwarder.
A statement signed by the Commissioner General of the GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti directed importers to comply with the policy.This means that all imports headed to Ghana without the CTN Number will not be offloaded at any of Ghana’s ports.
By: Alex Semordzi
