The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, has disclosed that a preliminary investigation report into the recent drug shipment case involving containers that left Ghana has been submitted to President John Dramani Mahama.

He said the Authority was also working with the relevant security agencies to establish the full details of the incident and support efforts to address the concerns surrounding the shipment.

Mr Sarpong made the disclosure when he appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), in response to concerns about the reputational damage the drug-related cases could cause Ghana.

The question was raised by the Member of Parliament for Mpraeso and Vice-Chairperson of the Committee, Davis Ansah Opoku, who sought clarity on measures being taken to address the situation.

Mr Sarpong described drug trafficking as a serious concern for the GRA and called for collective efforts to prevent the country from being used as a transit point for narcotics.

He also revealed that the Authority regularly intercepts drugs and arrests suspected traffickers at the country’s entry and exit points, although such operations are not always made public.

According to him, publicising every interception could alert drug traffickers and allow them to devise new methods to evade detection.

Meanwhile, the GRA has urged taxpayers to take advantage of tax reliefs available under the law, saying many eligible individuals are missing out because of limited awareness.

Mr Sarpong said the Authority was intensifying public education to ensure taxpayers understood the reliefs available to them under the Revenue Administration framework and the relevant tax laws, including the Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896).

He said the GRA was committed to helping eligible taxpayers access the benefits provided by law and was working to improve awareness of the applicable requirements.

The Commissioner-General also addressed issues relating to online cross-border transactions and attempts by some financial institutions to impose additional percentage charges on products.

He explained that consumers were already paying the applicable 20 per cent charge but were not always aware of it, adding that the Authority was seeking to formalise the arrangement.