President Akufo-Addo has lauded the implementation of trade facilitation system, the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) at Ghana’s sea and land borders.
Delivering the 2021 State of the Nation Address (SONA), the President noted the new trade system has enhanced management and collection of customs duties at Ghana’s ports thereby increasing revenues accrued to government.
Aside the recorded increment in revenues, the President further noted the system has succeeded in eliminating the multiple routes used in paying duties under the old GCNet/West Blue system as well as ensured seamless and speedy processing of pre-manifest declaration and valuation.
“The Integrated Customs Management Systems (ICUMS), which is an endto-end customs management system at the Ports to enhance management and collection of customs duties, has, despite initial resistance and controversy, succeeded in eliminating the multiple routes prior to payment of duties, ensuring seamless processes, increasing revenues, and speedy processing of pre-manifest declaration and valuation on the same system,” said President Akufo-Addo.
Data provided by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) indicate that total revenues generated by the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) reached a record high of some Ghs 10.5 billion as at December 12, 2020.
This consist of some Ghs 7.6 billion for the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority from import duty generated of goods in and out of Ghana, with the rest being revenues generated by Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD) of the GRA raising some Ghs 2.7 billion through the ICUMS and Non GRA revenues which is also hovering around a little over Ghs 140 million.
Comparing revenues generated by both systems on a year-on-year basis, in July 2020 while the ICUMS generated over Ghs 1.1 billion, the GCNet and West Blue put together generated duty payments of Ghs 949 million. This represents a 23% increase for the ICUMS.
Again, in August 2020 the percentage increase in revenues by the ICUMS was around 32%, generating duty payment of some Ghs 1.2 billion while the old vendors (GCNet and West Blue) raised Ghs 952 million year on year (August 2019).
In September 2020 ICUMS generated above Ghs 1.2 billion representing some 35% increase of revenue compared to the Ghs 920 million duty payments in the same period in 2019.
In October 2020 the ICUMS raised 35% (Ghs 1.3 billion) in revenues higher than what the GCNet and West Blue (Ghs 980 million) generated for the government.
Still on the year-on-year comparison, November 2019 was the best performance of the old vendors as they raised a little over Ghs 1 billion but again they were out performed by the ICUMS of Ghana Link Network Services Ltd which generated some Ghs 1.2 billion representing an increase of 26% in percentage terms.
According to the Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyeremanteng, the ICUMS cumulatively, has added some Ghs 1.6 billion to government’s revenue since its deployment in July 2020.
