The Greater Accra Regional Shipper Committee has kicked against proposed Terminal Handling Charges by Shipping Lines for imported and exported goods at the country’s ports.
The group say the cost of doing business is already high, and so adding more charges will further worsen the plight of the business community.
In a joint Press Release, the group said ‘’the payment of the handling charges as an isolated local charge to the shipping lines is completely alien to the practice of shipping in Ghana since terminal operators already charge shippers the THC for cargo handling services provided’’
Chairperson of the Greater Accra Regional Shipper Committee, Adobea Asiamah Aboagye, in an interview with Citi News argued that the proposed charges will be detrimental as shippers are already grappling with multiplicity of taxes.
With the new charges, shippers would have to pay 140 dollars to 155 dollars for a 20-footer container, and 260 to 275 dollars for a 40 footer; but the shippers have questioned the need for the new terminal charges as they argue that the cost is already catered for in the freight charges they pay before a ship sails.
The shippers have warned that if introduced, the Terminal Handling Charges will cost shippers over 78 million dollars annually and this they project might increase significantly over time.
Key Business Associations that have made the call comprise the Association of Ghana Industries-AGI, Ghana National Chamber of Commerce-GNCC, Ghana Chamber of Mines, Federation of Association of Ghanaian Exporters-FAGE, Ghana Union of Traders Association-GUTA, and the Greater Accra Regional Shipper Communities.
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By: Lorrencia Nkrumah/citifmonline.com/Ghana