Salvage cars include a vehicle that has been critically damaged to the extent that any part of the safety cage and/or chassis is broken, cracked, bent or twisted or a vehi­cle abandoned and has a value only as a source of parts and scrap metal.

They stressed that the issue was critical to the growth and stability of the auto mechanic industry in Ghana.

The Western Regional Chair­man of the association, Mr Justice Jeo Aryitey, made the appeal at a stakeholders’ meet­ing with the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu- Agyare, in Takoradi on yesterday to discuss the matter as enshrined in the Customs Amendment Act, 2020 (Act 1014), but yet to be imple­mented.

The group further complained about the effects of high taxes, including import and export duties, on their operations.

They again noted government’s efforts in reducing some nuisance taxes, such as those on betting, lottery, and the E-Levy, but ob­served that import duties had not been revised.

“As an industry that depends on imported spare parts and equipment, the high import duties significantly increase our costs, making it unbearable for business­es to thrive,” they lamented.

The Ghana Standards Author­ity (GSA) together with relevant industry players defined salvage vehicles under “GS 4510” – road vehicles, with requirements for “Imported Used Motor Vehicles” including a motor vehicle that has suffered minor or major damages.

Mr Aryitey said the auto me­chanic industry believed that the law would affect spare parts, weld­ing and spraying business within the garages.

He again mentioned that garages were currently in the final stages of securing state land to provide permanent structures and ensure the stability of their members and appealed to the minister to help expedite the final stages to ensure a smooth and successful acquisition.

The District Chairman, Ko­kompe branch, Charles Mensah, said the security situation with­in the Kokompe enclave was alarming and continued to hinder business growth as incidents of theft and vandalism had left many of the members vulnerable, and urged the government to help safeguard the industry.

He added: “Kokompe’s acces­sibility remains a major concern “As we have only one major route serving the entire area. We look forward to working closely with your office to ensure meaning­ful progress in addressing these challenges.”

Moreover, Mr Mensah spoke about the unutilised training Cen­tre, with an office complex, com­pleted in 2019 through a collabo­ration between the Government of Ghana and the Government of France.

Designed to train the youth in motor artisanal works, he said, the centre remained unused, with equipment left to deteriorate.