The Anti-revenue Leakages Monitoring Team of the Ghana Revenue Authority, has uncovered serious operational lapses involving some personnel of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, CEPS. The CEPS officials possibly acting as syndicate are said to siphon State revenue through illegal collection of monies from traders at the country’s borders and condoning smuggling.
The leader of the Special Monitoring Team Thomas Mills told the GNA that members of the syndicate pay small amounts of money at the borders to clear goods, which are brought into the country through well-connected middlemen.
Mr. Mills said traders are forced to pay money at the numerous check points especially the Accra-Aflao road manned by security personnel. He appealed to the traders to go through the requirements covering their goods in order to avoid illegal payments of money.
Mr. Mills said on the 21st of last month, the anti-revenue team intercepted a truck travelling from Ave Havi to the Juapong barrier. He said customs documents covering the goods in the truck indicated that only eight thousand six hundred Ghana cedis was paid to the State instead of an estimated two hundred and 66 thousand Ghana cedis.
Mr. Mills expressed the need for the authorities to punish people who divert public revenue. He also called for the overhauling of the revenue collection system to prevent people from making money at the expense of the State.
