The Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA) says it will pass on the rising cost of fuel and costs resulting from the implementation of new taxes to consumers.

However, it does not expect the increase in prices of goods to be significant.

President of GUTA, Dr. Joseph Obeng tells Joy Business that traders are in business to make returns.

“ If I say that I’m not expecting an increment then I may be lying but it is going to be a very marginal increment", he explained.

“We also have to be mindful of the fact that there are other factors that are not local. The prices of raw materials have gone up because of Covid-19 - that’s why metal prices have gone up astronomically and in some cases over 50%”, he emphasized.

“Prices of almost every raw material have gone up, the freight charges have also gone up astronomically. If the price build up keeps rising, then of course we should expect that there should be some increases in prices of goods and services”, Dr. Obeng further pointed out.

Meanwhile, members of GUTA are calling on the Special Task Force set up to flush out foreigners involved in illegal trading at the market centers to resume its activities.

They have therefore given government up to the end of May this year to act, failing which they will take action themselves.

Dr. Obeng said they will not relent in their efforts to ensure the government does the right thing.

“Before we could even start our own agitations, owners of those shops belonging to Nigerians which have been closed, also petitioned President Akufo-Addo for their shops to be re-opened. We deem this as an insult to the Ghanaian community,” he stated.

“I think they have taken our leniency for granted. And we are not going to accept that. You have breached the law and the law has caught up with you. The government has even been lenient and is saying that regularize your operations, if you are unable to do so, you just quit”, he added.

“But you cannot say that I cannot regularize my operations because it’s too stringent for me. Now our members in Ashiaman are agitating, those in Kasoa have risen, others are doing same”, he stressed.