Gov’t Tasked To Remove 20% Import Duty On Smart Phones

Kwaku Sekyi-Addo (In Black) And The CEO Of TECNO, Maxwell Takyi (In White) Unveiling The New Phantom Z Device

The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication has appealed to government to consider the removal of the 20 per cent import duties tax slapped on smart phone in this year's 2015 budget.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunication, Kwaku Sekyi-Addo hinted that the high increment of taxes levied on smart phones add up to about 40 percent of the cost.

He said the situation has compelled many genuine phone dealers to smuggle these smart phones and accessories through unapproved routes to dodge tax.

Government revenue target, he indicated, has dropped marginally due to this high increment of levies on smart phones.

He said this at the official launch of the TECNO phantom Z at the tecno head office in Accra.

According to him, the high taxes on smart phones in this country have significantly reduced investor confidence due to the unprofitability of the mobile phone market.

KwakuSekyi-Addo added that the removal of the taxes will reduce the menace of smuggling that will change the dynamics of business in the country where more dealers canimport more at very cheaper cost for the Ghanaian buyer.

This, he said, will enable government to mobilize huge revenue through Communication Service Tax (CST) because more Ghanaians are able to acquire more handsets.

He explained that the rise of smart phones over the recent years have become more accessible than even toys therefore, government must consider generating enough revenue through the Communication Service Tax and allow more inflow of smarts phones by removing the import duties.

“Smart phones are key to research and productivity in the world. Without a smart phone one cannot exist because it a prosthetic, an extension of the human brain where contacts, picture, videos, songs are stored and shared-it is a necessity and not a luxury,” he told journalists at the launching ceremony.

The Business Development Manager at TECNO, Daniel Glover said the new TECNO phantom Z was designed after extensive research to find out how best to meet the needs of their market who are increasingly becoming more spoilt for choice because of the plethora of hand held devices on the market.

According to him, the phantom Z however comes with a flash on an outstanding 8 megapixel front camera to whip the “selfie” fever of the smart phone users even at night.

He posited that they are very confident the new Phantom Z will take the market by storm with its revolutionary features and competitive pricing that will set the standard for other devices in the market.

The Phantom Z comes with a free 2months subscription of DStvaDrifta, 5200mAh power bank and a smart view cover at a price of CH1,500.

TECNO has been the No.1 dual SIM phone in Africa, and a winner of the smartphone of the year award at the just ended Ghana Telecom Awards 2014 (GTA 2014) Awards.

TECNO has unveiled several of kinds of its mobile devices including the recent TECNO R7, the first 6 core processor phone in Ghana.