Travelers returning to Ghana with multiple new devices including mobile phones and other electronic gadgets may be compelled to pay commercial duties on such products at the airport during arrival processes.
Briefing journalists after a tour of the Airport, Commissioner of Customs at the Ghana Revenue Authority, Aaron Kanor, said more than two mobile devices could amount to commercial use.
The Commissioner also disclosed plans to fully automate passenger profiling at the country’s airports during arrivals.
He noted that this is part of international customs as such items are required to be declared by the owners.
“In Ghana, because of our culture, when one is traveling, Amma gives you one phone, Kofi gives you another and all the days born phones, they all give you phones. When you carry all those seven phones and you arrive, it will amount to what? Commercial.
“This is because as an individual, you are entitled to one or maybe two, considering that the other is for your wife”.
“So, we implore that when you are coming home, you do not collect people’s things. If you collect them and they are beyond two, one is allowed to carry two”, he added.
“One for yourself and maybe one for your wife. Beyond that, it amounts to commercial because all these phones are expensive”, he mentioned.
Furthermore, he said, “If you look at iPhone, Samsung, they are very expensive. That is where we can get our revenue”.
Meanwhile, the Customs Division of the GRA is in the process to fully automate passenger profiling at the country’s airports during arrivals.
This is part of the transformation of the GRA and to help curb delays at the ports as a result of customs physical checks.
