The President of the Nigerian Union of Traders Association Ghana (NUTAG), Chukwuemeka Nnaji has indicated that his members have the right documentation to work in the retail market and they also comply with the taxes they are expected to pay.
His comments come after the national taskforce on retail trade went to the retail market at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange (Circle) to deal with foreigners who are operating illegally in the retail market.
However, after an altercation between the task force and the exotic traders at Circle, Mr Nnaji said in an interview that, they were not treated fairly because they have the correct documentation backing their businesses.
“The information I received… is that, the committee will be coming to inspect the documentation of the Nigerian traders and that is what we told them (the traders). So they started in Abossey Okai from Monday to yesterday {Wednesday} and they came to circle today {Thursday}.
He added that they expected the task force to have inspected the documents of the traders in the same manner they did at the previous markets they visited but not forcefully try to close their shops even though they have the right documents. He pointed out that, they are also seeking for what exactly the task force is demanding of them.
“Everyone would have expected that, they do the same thing because we are also asking {for} information; what they are asking and what they are aggrieved” about.
“So if they come today {Thursday} and did not ask anybody any question and if you have watched TV you can see some people flying their own documents showing everywhere that, they have the documentation and they have given them as testament to pay taxes and they have paid.
“And the information I’m receiving from the Circle chairman is that the majority of them are complying with the taxes that were given to them by the inter-ministerial committee.”
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These statements raise some serious issues concerning the country’s regulations on retail trade.
On several occasions, the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has pointed out that, majority of foreign retailers in the country do not have permits to engage in retailing. From the comments of the President of the Nigerian traders, who make the majority of these retailers, they don’t agree with this claim.
However, The GIPC Act (865), the law which spells out the terms and conditions under which foreigners can engage in retailing in the country bars the “sale of goods or provision of services in a market, petty trading or hawking or selling of goods in a stall at any place,” by foreigners.
Recently, there have been numerous confrontations by GUTA towards foreign retailers. Late last year, GUTA closed about 600 shops owned by foreigners.
When the foreigners reopened their shops after months of closure, a near brawl almost ensued at Circle. During that fracas, the President of NUTAG pleaded for the government of Ghana to protect them as they feared for their lives.
In February this year, a Presidential Committee on Foreign Retail Trade was instituted by government to ensure all the misunderstandings in the sector were dealt with.
Mr. Ntim Odonkor, a representative of the Minster of Trade on Tuesday, February 4th, stated that,
“The issue of foreigners taking over trading activities reserved for Ghanaians which has been your concern sometime has also come to the notice of government.
“As directed by his Excellency, a technical sub-committee has been put together to ensure the implementation of the president’s directives on this matter.
“Secondly, parliament has charged its subsidiary committee on Trade, Industry to study and make recommendations in a by-partisan manner with a view to finding a sustainable solution to this issue.”
