Heads To Roll At CEPS

The government has announced an imminent shake-up in the leadership of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) at the various entry points in the country, citing dereliction of duties as the main reason behind its action. Additionally, some of the leadership of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) would be changed to help address the issue of revenue leakages in the system. According to Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Information and Media Relations, the move formed part of a major strategy by the government to plug the loopholes and improve revenue mobilization in the country. Speaking at the daily press briefings at the Presidency yesterday, Mr Ayariga hinted that the changes in the leadership of CEPS and the GRA �will be announced in due course�. He further announced that the Chief of Staff, Prosper Kweku Bani, has constituted a high-level taskforce to mount surveillance at the various points of entry in the country. The taskforce, which comprised of personnel of the security agencies, would check smuggling activities at the ports and other points of entry. They would also streamline the importation of goods to the country without the payment of levies. Mr. Ayariga declined to give details of the taskforce composition citing security reasons. �We want them to operate freely without people knowing their identities,� he said. Reports reaching the government, he said, indicated that the state was losing significant revenue because people were not paying taxes. On the envisaged review in some of the leadership of the GRA, the minister explained that some businesses were not paying taxes �and we believe the leadership of some of these agencies is not holding such businesses accountable.� �Government is determined to take steps to ensure that importers pay taxes to ensure that there is enough revenue in the system,� he stressed. On the stampede which occurred at the Synagogue Church Of All Nations at the weekend, leading to the loss of lives, the Minister made it clear that there were laws governing the operations of religious bodies, noting also that the police had already commenced investigations. �We are concerned about the incident and if there is any culpability on the part of anybody (after the probe), the law will take its course,� he said. On the President�s directive on Tuesday to the intelligence agencies to up their game following the incidents of fire outbreaks in the country, Mr. Ayariga said the consistency and persistency of infernos at strategic public places, warranted the President�s directive.