The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Anthony Sarpong, has assured importers and clearing agents that the introduction of the new Publican AI system will not come with any additional charges or taxes.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, April 10, Mr Sarpong addressed concerns that the new technology could lead to increased costs for businesses operating at the ports.

He said the GRA had made the position clear from the start of engagements with stakeholders.

“At the beginning of our engagement with importers and agents and the public, we made it clear that the Publican is not bringing in any taxes or levies at all,” he stated.

Mr Sarpong said that there had been fears that the introduction of a new system would lead to extra costs for importers, but insisted this was not the case.

“We have constantly declared and made the point that government is not surcharging importers for the introduction, because it is GRA and Customs that are enhancing the process to be more efficient and effective,” he explained.

According to him, the system is designed to improve operations at the ports, not to impose financial burdens on users. “There is no cost passed on to importers or agents,” he said.

He further said that no new taxes have been introduced in relation to the system.

“The government has not announced any new taxes at all. As you are aware, in this country, no institution can impose taxes apart from Parliament,” he said.

Mr Sarpong added that Parliament has not passed any law to change import duties in connection with the rollout of the AI tool.

“Parliament has not passed any law to vary any of the taxes of importation either upwards or downwards relative to the implementation of the Publican,” he noted.

He therefore urged importers and the general public to disregard any claims suggesting otherwise.

“We really want to assure importers and the general public that the introduction of the AI is not bringing new taxes and it is not bringing in any cost charges,” he said.

Mr Sarpong explained that the main aim of the system is to ensure fairness in the payment of duties.

He referenced remarks made by the President at the Kwahu Business Forum, noting that the technology could even create room for lower duties in the future.

“What the AI is going to do is to help us ensure that all importers are paying fairly what they are expected to pay,” he said.

“If we get that right, it even gives us the opportunity to go back to Cabinet and Parliament to ask for a variation in duties.”

He added that improved compliance could benefit businesses. “Today, we know that some people are dodging, but if everybody is paying, there is an opportunity. If this works, it even creates the opportunity for duty reduction as opposed to duty increment,” he said.

Responding to a question on who bears the cost of implementing the system, Mr Sarpong said the government is funding it as part of efforts to improve efficiency and support trade.

“Government is paying because it is part of the process to improve the efficiency of operations and to facilitate trade,” he explained.

“If it supports trade and businesses grow, the government also benefits from the taxes that come in.”

He added that it makes sense to invest public funds into such systems. “It makes sense to take some of the tax money to implement this system,” he said.

Mr Sarpong said that the goal is to improve processes without transferring any cost to users.

“There is no cost passed through from government to importers because we want to improve the efficiency of the processes,” he said.