Aflao Sector of Customs Division surpass 2015 target

Aflao (V/R), Feb. 8, GNA - A total of GH¢107,384,894.95 in revenue was last year collected by the Aflao Sector of Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA); GH¢7,884,894.95 in excess of the annual target of GH¢99,500,000.00.

Mr Confidence Nyadzi, the Division's Aflao Sector Commander, said this at the Division's annual excellence awards held at Aflao over the weekend.

'This has been the first time in nine years that the sector exceeded its target and it was done through collaboration with other agencies, tax education and preventive operations,' he said.

The Sector Commander said the figure excludes sales from auctioned goods, potential revenue locked up in unclaimed goods in the state warehouse and GH¢1,038,200.61 made from preventive arrests.

Mr Nyadzi said the Sector also made a number of non-revenue gains including recent arrest of a cache of ammunition, about 99,000 cartridges, narcotic arrests and others.

He said inadequate human resource, logistics, slow processing of awards and payments for informants were some of the challenges facing the Sector.

Mr Fifi Kwetey, in-coming Minister for Transport, commended the Sector and implored them to work harder, saying Government shall continue to provide the necessary support.

He said under a stringent policy change, Government could not borrow even a pesewa from the Central Bank this year and revenue mobilization ought to be more stringent.

Mr George Blankson, Commissioner of the GRA, in an address read for him, said the Customs Division has been given a revenue target of GH¢10.16 billion for 2016 and that the Aflao Sector is to collect GH¢193.29 million.

He said security at the frontier is of paramount importance in view of the 2016 elections and recent arrest of weapons.

Deserving personnel and collaborators were honoured, with Diamond Cement Ghana Limited, receiving a corporate award for being the foremost single revenue payer.

GNA