The President of the Ghana Union of Traders' Associations (GUTA), Joseph Obeng, is calling for a downward review of taxes on imported goods as traders are mostly unable to afford them.

According to him, the taxes are excessively high compelling traders to evade them by any means possible.

This comment comes after JoyNews’ investigations uncovered how customs officials take bribes to allow traders to transport smuggled goods from neighbouring countries to the country's local markets. These officials take bribes ranging from ¢20 to ¢200 to allow these traders who have evaded paying taxes on their goods to get off the hook.

Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on July 29, Mr Obeng described the customs officials who aid the traders clear their goods as “angels.”

“A tax system that is so extortionately high and` very unbearable and this is the problem. Sometimes the customs officer that we say is taking a bribe, the word bribe is not bribe for the trader. It's a favour that the customs officer has given us (the trader) because we were eventually able to clear our goods. Without that, we couldn’t even have cleared the goods,” he said.

• Read also: JoyNews exposes Customs officials demanding bribes in ‘Porous Borders’ Hotline Documentary

Mr Obeng stated that there is a need for affordable taxes and an overhaul of the system to create an environment where customs officials can work with integrity.

“The trader that goes to the poor customs officer because of our inability to pay our taxes makes the customs officer obliged to take something so that they can take the goods out, make him an angel for us and this is true.”

“The clearing agent can do the same and the trader can do the same without even pointing fingers at anyone. Even those people telling us to pay the legitimate taxes and duties and all that, they face the same when they are clearing their goods, they face the same thing and use the same clearing agents.”

Meanwhile, Ranking Member on the Trade and Industry Committee of Parliament and MP for Bole Bamboi, Yusif Sulemana, believes the report has revealed deep-seated corruption in the country.
He stated that when Ghanaians see that those responsible for preventing corruption are themselves deeply involved in it, it emboldens them and diminishes their fear of engaging in corrupt practices.

“That is exactly what we are seeing. We have customs officials who will go that low to take 200 cedis, and 400 cedis to aid traders to evade tax, it tells you that our country is sick. It tells you that there is a need for a national conversation with respect to how we are going to fight corruption. If we don’t do that, it would be difficult to stop these kinds of things happening in the country,” he said.