The Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association is threatening to go on a demonstration to register its displeasure over the underhand means by which the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) uses to double charge duties on imports. Vice Chairman of the association, Richard Obeng told Asempa News that after CEPS officials had scrutinized imported spare parts and charged duty on them, they tag the container and trace it to its final destination and do re-examination and charge additional fees. He said this practice had been going on for two years and he was personally a victim sometime back. “I brought in a container and paid GHC4,400 as duty at the port and CEPS followed me to Abossey Okai and did re-examination and made me pay an additional GHC6,000, meanwhile I did not even get GHC5,000 profit on that container,” he said. Mr. Obeng said the practice is killing the spare parts business and so they would soon resort to a demonstration to protect their interest if government did not intervene. He said the association had made several complaints to the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA) and the to the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central, Mr. Theophilus Tetteh Chae but to no avail. “Now we are at our wits end because our businesses are dying through this unfair treatment from CEPS – we have realized that no one is paying heed to [our concerns], we will go on a massive demo to get the attention of the president if need be,” he said. MP for the area, Theophilus Tetteh Chae also told Asempa News he shared the sentiments of the spare parts dealers, but urged them to be patient and allow him to do something about it. He noted that officers at the various ports used all kinds of corrupt tactics to frustrate businessmen and women so they could benefit, but government was committed to cleansing the ports of such corrupt characters. “I will table the grievances of the spare dealers in Parliament and seek redress from the appropriate quarters,” he said. But the National President of Ghana Union of Traders Associations GUTA), Mr. George Kwaku Ofori said this was a matter for the Ministry of Trade and Industry to deal with. He therefore assured the spare parts dealers he would take it up with the minister and with the respective Parliamentary Committee to ensure that the practice was halted. Mr. Ofori recalled that in the past, BNI officers used to frustrate spare parts dealers and other importers in that same manner but all that had stopped through the intervention of the minister so he was hopeful the minister’s intervention would stem this as well. Story by: Samuel Nii Narku Dowuona/Adom News/Ghana