News:
March 27, 2024
The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has taken a swipe at the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the high tax regime in Ghana and pointed out that workers of the Ghana Revenue Authority should not be blamed as they are only preforming their statutory duties.
According to a statement sign by the Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson it is the Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government that had imposed a lot of taxes on business and Ghanaians, so GRA should not be singled out.
“The government’s huge appetite for taxes has created a high tax regime which has made the country unattractive for doing business. It is therefore not surprising that many businesses in Ghana are relocating to other countries in the West African sub-region.”
They further added that, this spells doom and gloom for Ghanaian employees as jobs which would have otherwise been filled by them get exported as a consequence of the relocation of businesses from the country.
“Instead of blaming GRA workers, Alhaji Bawumia should take responsibility for the regressive and crippling taxes that his government has imposed on his watch as the Chairman of the government’s Economic Management Team. It is hypocritical and deceptive on the part of Alhaji Bawumia; the key architect of the government’s economic policies, to blame innocent GRA workers for the fallouts of a high tax regime after his government has sponsored, motivated and marshaled the numbers of the Majority Caucus in Parliament to fight tooth and nail to pass regressive, punitive, draconian and insensitive taxes.”
Again, it is absurd that Alhaji Bawumia, who approves economic policies including tax proposals at meetings of the Economic Management Team as well as justifies them at Cabinet meetings, has turned round to blame workers of GRA for the country’s high tax regime.
It was precisely because of the adverse impact of these taxes on businesses and the people that the NDC Minority Caucus in Parliament resisted the draconian taxes and voted as a bloc against them.
Already, we have served notice that the NDC Minority Caucus will bring a Private Member’s Bill to remove e-levy, emission tax and betting tax, the Minority stated.
According to the Minority, the government has finally agreed with them to abolish these taxes; except that while Dr Bawumia wants that done in the future, the NDC Minority Caucus wants the removal of the taxes now, they emphasized.
Ghanamps.com