The end of every year is a period for stock-taking.  We thank God for taking us all through another year and we are hopeful that the new year will provide better opportunities for all our business partners.  This year has presented some challenges to the CEPS and its stakeholders but we have together managed to sail through.

We are happy to note that as a Service, CEPS your business partner, is uplifting its services albeit slowly.  Our collective effort to maximize tax revenue while facilitating international trade is on course.  We are vigorously pursuing our objective of attaining ISO certification so that CEPS operations and procedures will be better structured, more transparent and more business friendly.

It is worthy to note that the Ghana Customs Management System (GCMS) with Ghana Community Network (GCNet) has tremendously improved and simplified Customs clearance procedures in Tema, the Kotoka International Airport, Takoradi and Aflao.  The infrastructure has been put in place at Elubo awaiting the necessary telecommunication connection while the Paga project is also far advanced.  As we make progress in our automation programme, we wish to assure our business partners that the services rendered by CEPS will get better and better.

Indeed it has become evident that barring intervention by other stakeholders at the ports, clearance time after the introduction of the GCMS and GCNet has significantly reduced to the averages of one to two hours and six hours at the Airport and Tema Port respectively.

Your payment of taxes through CEPS has invariably enabled the government to continue to meet its financial obligations to the good people of this country.  Last year, with your cooperation CEPS exceeded its revenue target.  Regrettably, achievement of the target set this year has been arduous and we may miss the mark.

Some may be quick in attributing this failure to corruption on the part of the CEPS officer.  Even as we admit culpability on the part of a few officers, it is no secret our business partners contribute significantly to the revenue leakages through under invoicing, misdescription and under declaration of goods. We are also aware that some of our business partners exert undue pressure on officers to bend the rules to enable them evade payment of taxes.

We take this opportunity to remind our business partners that the CEPS Management Law, PNDCL 330 Section 271 prescribes sanctions on any one who gives or offers bribe including imprisonment.  In 2005, the CEPS management shall put in place mechanisms to apply these sanctions not only against officers but also the public.  

We will continue to employ the services of the task forces to complement our normal operations to optimize revenue collection.

To facilitate clearance of goods and to ensure continued provision of quality service by CEPS, we implore the business community to observe the following:

(a) Submit to CEPS appropriate documents such as Attested Invoices, Airway Bill, Bill of Lading, Packing list and Final Classification and Valuation Report (FCVR).
(b) Desist from under declaring taxable goods

(c) Pay all taxes and levies in respect of their merchandise promptly.

(d) Refrain from inducing, manipulating or collaborating with officers to defraud the State of revenue through evasion or smuggling.

(e) Contact CEPS on any information they require regarding their transactions.

On behalf of the management and staff of CEPS I wish to assure the business and commerce community, freight forwarders, shipping operators and the public that we will continue to cooperate and put in our best to provide quality service at all times.

We wish our partners including Importers, Exporters, Freight Forwarders, Port Operators and all allied governmental and private agencies a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

CEPS: We will provide world-class customs service

Brig. Gen. R.E. Baiden
Commissioner