Government's promise to remove import duty on spare parts for vehicles is set to kick after Parliament approved the Customs Amendment Bill 2017 that will legitimise the removal.
The 2017 budget statement, the first to be read by the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta announced a removal of import duty on spare parts necessitating the need to amend some laws to allow for the import duties to be removed.
But during the long debate which preceded the passing of the law, the Minority in Parliament which was of the opinion that the bill was unconstitutional and a breach of an ECOWAS treaty, pointed out that the removal was not going to inure to the benefit of the ordinary Ghanaian.
“The government must ensure that you are reducing the duty on the parts. As the importers enjoy the reduction in duties they must reduce the prices of the parts but there is no mechanism to ensure that.
“They will go and get the reduction, enrich their pockets but they will not reduce the prices of the parts," he said.
He further questioned why government will implement such a policy if the ordinary Ghanaian will not benefit from it.
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