Parliament has passed the Customs Amendment Bill.
The bill bans the import of used vehicles of more than 10 years and the import of salvaged or accident vehicles.
The bill has been opposed by the Minority and vehicle dealers across the country but the House after scrutinizing the document approved it.
The amendment was to provide incentives for automotive manufacturers and assemblers registered under the Ghana Manufacturing Development Programme.
A clause in the amendment empowers the Minister of Finance to specify the date on which the ban will come into place.
The document will finally become law after the President assents to it.
Objections from Minority MP
The MP for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, had however called for the withdrawal of the Bill because of the financial implications and the potential loss of jobs associated with its implementation.
“There is a large body of Ghanaians whose business is second-hand vehicle dealing and they were represented at the joint committee meeting. They raised the point that this Bill… does not offer second-hand vehicle dealers any protection.”
He also said the second-had car dealers deserved to be allowed to “bring in their vehicles and compete with the vehicles that will be manufactured by the automobile assembly.”
On the projected losses, Mr. Fuseini felt the amount was too much for the country to bear.
“This obviously will be too much for this country. For three years you are losing [almost GHS1 billion.]There is no guarantee that we will be able to reclaim this GHS1 billion through the employment by that will be created,” he argued.
