The Vehicle and Asset Dealers Association of Ghana (VADAG) says it will be marshalling forces to join the upcoming “Kun Yen Preko” Demonstration.
The exercise which is slated for July 9, 2019 is being spearheaded by the Coalition for Social Justice to drum home the need for government to as a matter of urgency address the numerous socio – economic hardships in the country.
According to VADAG several [petitions to government to scrap the luxury vehicle levy has fallen on deaf ears hence the decision to take active part in the demo.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, General Secretary of VADAG, Clifford Ansu enumerated some moves undertaken by his outfit to address the issue but all to no avail.
“When we staged our first demonstration on 7th March 2019, petitions were sent to the Finance Ministry, Parliament House and the Jubilee House, Office of the President yet we did not get any response from the Presidency or Parliament.”
“However, following the statement made by the former President, John Dramani Mahama that he will scrap the Levy if he gets the opportunity to rule again, we were invited by the Finance Ministry for deliberations to see the way forward.”
“On 25th April, 2019 we held a meeting to deliberate on the way forward, HON. Kwaku Kwarteng, the Deputy Finance Minister chaired the meeting on behalf of Hon. Ken Ofori Atta, Minister of Finance. He promised to get back to us in two weeks time but nothing of the sort has been done till dater. We again wrote to remind the ministry on 23rd May, 2019 – nothing has since been heard.”
Mr. Ansu also disclosed some of the groups that will join the demo such as Concern Drivers Association of Ghana, Ghana Committed Drivers Association, True Drivers Union, Concerned Spare Parts Dealers Association of Ghana and the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers of Ghana.
The General Secretary of VADAG further indicated that “Ghana imports about hundred and fifty thousand vehicles annually of which the luxury vehicles form about 25. On the other hand, an average duty payable on each of these vehicles stands between GHC 80,000 billion and above.”
“The government per the above estimation accrues several billions of Ghana cedis, so we are of the view that, government can still make huge sums of money out of the importation of these so called luxury vehicles without necessarily imposing any levy on the already existing numerous levies within the transportation sector,” he fumed.
Mr. Ansu reiterated the dire consequences the luxury vehicle levy is having on their businesses indicating that “the effect of this policy has been however so detrimental to the car selling industry nationwide such that people have discarded the idea of buying g or owning vehicles, while some owners of these vehicles are resorting to the “Goro Boys” at the premises of DVLA for fake or fictitious road worthy stickers , thereby denying the government the very revenue that this policy seeks to gather for the state,” he emphasized.
Story By: Henry George Martinson/radiogoldlive.com
