A call has been made to President John Dramani Mahama to use his executive position to impress upon the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to release fifty ‘over-stayed’ cars which were seized from members of the National Work And Pay Car Dealers Association (NWPCDA) at Tema Port.

They stated that government through CEPS has seized many cars belonging to the Association, a development which they claimed, has had a heavy toll on their working conditions, thereby creating unemployment.

According to the members, their call on the President has become necessary because the vehicles had over stayed at the port due to their inability to pay what they described as “high car clearance taxes” charged by CEPS.

They pointed out that the delay on their part to clear the vehicles at the port was as a result of the economic crisis that has hit the nation in recent times.

“We are appealing to the President to help us to retrieve our seized vehicles from CEPS at the Tema Port. Our President, we want to make you aware that we have spent huge sums of money on these cars,” they lamented.

Speaking in an interview with Today in Accra yesterday, the distraught members of NWPCDA led by its National President, Mr. Issah Abubakar said the appeal was to make President Mahama do something about the port charges.

According to them, the taxes, fuel and insurance increments were impeding the progress of their business.

“Most vehicle importers become overwhelmed with the clearing cost which they may have not anticipated to be such high either due to misinformation or no information at all about the clearing cost forcing disappointed importers to abandon vehicles at the ports due to their inability to raise funds to clear their vehicles,” they averred.

The members of NWPCDA who took turns to speak with Today said they have ran out of patience as the many promises made to them by the top hierarchy of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government have not been fulfilled.

The car dealers who are so worried about the situation said they recently met the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Minister of Transport, Mr. Fifi Fiavi Kwettey, and National Security Coordinator, Mr. Yaw Donkor, on the issue.

They recounted the numerous promises Dr. Spio-Garbrah, Mr. Kwettey and Mr. Yaw Donkor made to them including assisting them to retrieve the seized cars in Tema Port.