The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) has dismissed reports making the rounds on social media, suggesting an increase in customs duties on goods bound for the country.
In statement, GRA said increase in tax rates are policy matters as the prerogatives of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, adding allegation was not supported by policy measures contained in the 2020 budget speech recently delivered before the National Assembly.
“We want to inform the general public that the customs law relating to valuation of goods are based on first and foremost on the transaction values of consignment based on original invoices obtained from the suppliers of the goods. Where such original documents are not available to GRA for valuation purposes, the rules allow us to resort to other fall-back methods to arrive at the correct values for the consignments,” GRA said in the statement.
The statement added: “We have observed that many importers and their clearing and forwarding agent are not providing original invoices with accurate information on the true cost, insurance and freight (CIF) which is the basis for the valuations of their goods.”
However, the institution’s tax collecting authority has expressed concern over ”declarations of false invoices” at customs clearing points in a bid to avoid payment of correct tax values of their goods.