Gospel singer and Made-In-Ghana Ambassador, Emelia Arthur, has expressed support for the government’s decision to defer the reduction of values of imports (also referred to as Benchmark Values).
The implementation of government’s directive, according to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), would create more room for broader stakeholder consultations on the issue.
The decision will also enable the concerns of traders to be adequately heard, before a final decision is taken on the matter. The Benchmark Values should have taken effect from Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Under the reduction of values of imports regime, certain commodities are benchmarked to the prevailing world prices as a risk management tool to reflect the true market dynamics of those commodities.
That system also takes into consideration factors such as protection of health, the environment and security as well as protection of local industries. The reversal was definitely bound to affect selected items from all the three categories mentioned above.
These include poultry, rice, sugar, pasta, spaghetti, noodles, palm oil (crude and refined), aluminium roofing sheets, toilet paper, facial tissue and towel, chocolate and Portland cement. Others are mosquito coil, vehicles, ceramic tiles, aluminium products, cartons, boxes of paperboard cases of corrugated paper, tile cement and textiles.
The implementation of government’s policy directive on removal of reduction of values of imports on selected items, as we understand, would motivate local producers to do more to help boost the local economy and also enhance job creation.
As the Made-In-Ghana Ambassador passionate about the growth of made-in- Ghana products and the well-being of Ghana and Ghanaians, Emelia Arthur wholeheartedly supports the government initiative to ensure that Ghanaian products are in abundance to drive the economy forward.
Emelia Arthur gave an assurance that she would support any governmental move that seeks to promote made-in- Ghana products and urged all to do same.
