Category: General

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is not a Father Christmas, they are not there to make business but definitely they are there to survive and falling back on IMF comes with cost; the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin noted at the start of the 2025 post budget workshop in Parliament.

According to him the Country must do everything not to get back to the IMF; and as the nation engages with them, we should be cautious of some of the things they approve.

He further pointed out that it is important that Members of Parliament (MPs) focus on the workshop and emphasis the need for opportunities for the lawmakers to ask critical questions, hence the reason why there are technical experts around at the workshop.

Again, the management of Ghana’s debt is central to the sustainability of its fiscal policy, and questions may relate to, for instance, balance borrowing and investment in growth as well as how to ensure sustainable debt levels.

Governance, he stated is about the welfare of the people and does not make profit; making profit thus belongs to the private sector, hence MPs should do all that it takes to understand the policy goal of the budget and how to align it with the broader development agenda.

The Speaker also urged the MPs to hold government accountable for its promises, thus there is the need for deep understanding of what those promises entail.

Speaker Bagbin advised the lawmakers to focus on the 24-hour Economy policy to explain to their constituents like the previous government did with the Free Senior High school, which had implementation challenges; “and I did say that such an important policy is good to be brought to the House for it to be debated”.

He asserts that Parliament’s role in such policies is not to know about such big policy, but to make inputs, and for MPs to be able to explain to their constituents.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

President John Dramani Mahama’s government has stayed true to the people of Ghana with several promises particularly abolishing of taxes.

The Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson in presenting the government’s 2025 Budget Statement and Fiscal Policy on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 in parliament announced that the government has “programmed the following nuisance taxes for removal in line with our manifesto promise”.

These include;

• we will abolish the 10% withholding tax on winnings from lottery, otherwise known as the “Betting Tax”;
• we will abolish the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) of 1%;
• we will abolish the Emission Levy on industries and vehicles;
• we will abolish the VAT on motor vehicle insurance policy; and
• we will abolish the 1.5% withholding tax on winning of unprocessed gold by small-scale miners.

The removal of these taxes, he stated, will ease the burden on households and improve their disposable incomes; and will support business growth and improve tax compliance.

Meanwhile, he has also announced comprehensive Value Added Tax (VAT) reforms this year to review the current distortions and cascading structure of the VAT regime.

“Ghana’s effective VAT rate is about 22 per cent. This is because GETFund Levy of 2.5 per cent, National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) of 2.5 per cent and COVID-19 Levy of 1 percent are all added to the base for the final determination of the VAT rate of 15%.”

He said they have requested Technical Assistance from the Fiscal Affairs Department of IMF on VAT reforms and it is expected that the IMF Mission will commence in April 2025, adding that the recommendations from the Technical Assistance Mission will inform the VAT reforms.

Ahead of this, the finance minister said he will inaugurate a VAT Reform Task Force to hold broad consultation with key stakeholders for their inputs.

“Mr. Speaker, the parameters for the VAT reforms which will be completed this year will include:

• abolishing the COVID-19 Levy;
• reversing the decoupling of GETFund and NHIL from the VAT;
• reducing the effective VAT rate for households and busineses;
• reversing the VAT flat rate regime;
• upwardly adjusting the VAT registration threshold to exempt micro and small businesses from the collection of VAT; and
• improving compliance through public education and awareness.

Ghanamps.com

As President John Dramani Mahama’s government prepares to present its first budget statement to Parliament, the Minority has served notice that they will reject any attempt to smuggle in new taxes or increase existing taxes.

“We the Mighty Minority will join the people of Ghana to resist any attempt to smuggle in new taxes or increase existing taxes. We owe it a duty to hold the government accountable for their promises to the people of Ghana”, the said when they presented the ‘true State of the Nation Address’ at a press conference in parliament on Monday.

The Minority contends that the ongoing National Economic Dialogue, is intended to whitewash the unfounded and baseless claims of the mismanagement of our economy under the erstwhile NPP administration; and further asserted that the government was scaring the people of Ghana by putting out unaudited outstanding claims on government.

“We believe these unholy moves by the NDC are intended to buy time to cover for its incompetence in managing the economy and to establish the basis for increasing taxes and introducing new taxes in the 2025 Budget Statement, even as they are promising to scrap E-Levy, COVID-Levy and others.

Ladies and gentlemen, does it make sense to scrap E-levy and betting tax, and replace them with new taxes on the mining, telecommunication, the financial sector and real estate industries, which will all be passed on to customers?

The people of Ghana should wait for the deception of the NDC government when they present the 2025 budget – taxes galore!”

“This is how they intend to tax Ghanaians to collect their target of GHS200billion in tax revenues this year. This government accused us of overtaxing the people of Ghana because by the end of 2024, the NPP administration collected GHS152.9 billion which is 17% tax to GDP ratio taking it from President Mahama’s 13% in 2016. How do you then turn around to expect to collect GHS200 billion in a broken economy?” They queried.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin has admonished lawmakers not to depend on the Executive arm of government to develop their constituencies.

In his address at the ongoing orientation for Members of Parliament in Ho, the Volta Region capital, he advised the MPs to rather go beyond the executives to solicit and mobilize resources to support their constituencies and themselves as there are many opportunities out there.

“I got all my outside travels in the first and second parliament of the fourth Republic from institutions outside Parliament. Because of the role I was playing, I was invited; they sponsor me to many international conferences”.

“And I learnt from them. It started as far back as 1994, I am a patron of a number of them and I assist them to mobilize resources any time they run out of budget, they send people to come and interview me as to the benefit and the need of it to such organizations.

“I do it for them to get funding, so do not struggle to catch the eye of the president; do all you can to catch the eye of the Speaker and that is not just a skill, it goes beyond that, you can always catch the eye of the Speaker”.

He assured the MPs that he would be cracking the whip this time around. “I would disapprove of your travels if I see you misbehaving; this is a notice, do not beg me, parliament is not just the corner stone of democracy, it is democracy; that is the only institution that is democratic”, he emphasized.

He said the Executive arm of government belongs to one party, and it is very difficult for them to reach out to all the citizens of the country, but parliament can easily do it; that is why I love this initiative from the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources about how to fight illegal mining because you are the people who can lead that crusade.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Rt. Hon. Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin has revealed that he received a WhatsApp message from the Minority that they would not be part of the ongoing orientation for Members of Parliament of the ninth Parliament in Ho because of issue of cost.

According to him the reason given by the Minority is unacceptable stating that choosing a venue for orientation has never been partisan. “There is always a search party that goes round to search for the appropriate venue at the right cost”.

Again, previously parliaments go to visit various hospitality facilities looking for good cost components suitable for MPs.

The Rt. Hon speaker further added that there is a lot of pressure on MPs that is also taken into consideration and before a decision is reached the search party moves round and brings a report to the Speaker for a decision to be taken.

He further explained and underscored the need to have Parliamentary staffs at the orientation, noting that since they assist MPs, there is the need to build their capacity too; otherwise they would not be in the position to assist MPs.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has boycotted the orientation of New Members of Parliament (MPs) currently being held in Ho, the Volta Regional capital.

As at the time of filling this story not a single soul of the Minority had appeared at the conference room.

In an interview with the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, he confirmed to Ghanamps.com that their colleagues in the Minority have indicated that they would not be part of the programme.

Minority Chief Whip Frank Annor Dompreh on Friday, February 28, 2025, indicated on the floor of the House that their side was not going to be part of the orientation, stating that as part of the cost saving strategy, the orientation should be done in Parliament House.

And added that when they were in the Majority in the 8th Parliament, there was public out cry over having such activities outside parliament; and questioned what has changed.

“We were not aware of the orientation until we heard of it on the floor of the House in the chamber”, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Four Ministers have been programmed to attend to the House to answer twenty-three questions next week.

They are the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulahi Jinapor, 6 questions ; Minister for Gender and Children Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, 3 questions; Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, 5 questions; Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, 5 questions; and Roads and Highways Minister, Kwame Governs Agbodza, 4 questions.

There are two urgent questions and twenty-one oral questions while Order 91 clause 2 makes provision for statement by the Ministers and Members of Parliament.

In a related development, the Second Deputy Speaker Andrew Asiamah has directed that the Minister of Energy and Green Transition should appear before the House on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 to outline measures the country is taking to have clean energy.

Debate on the Message of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) would start on Tuesday March 4, 2025.

Majority leader and Minority leaders would have forty minutes, other leaders would have twenty minutes and leadership of Committees would have fifteen minutes and MPs would have ten minutes.

The Business Committee could not reach consensus on the number of MPs to debate as the Minority insisted that the numbers should be equal from both sides while the Majority thinks otherwise, suggesting that it should be based on the numerical strength of each sides.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

President John Dramani Mahama will be in parliament today, February 27, 2025 to deliver his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) since returning to the seat of government as the first gentleman of the land.

Today’s exercise is in fulfillment of Article 67of the 1992 Constitution of the Ghana.

The highly anticipated address is expected to provide details of the current state of the nation with regards to the various sectors of the economy as handed over to him; as well as detail how he (the President) intends to deliver on his visions through stated policies and programmes.

Various sector players are keenly anticipating policies that will enhance their areas of operation as the government begins implementing its ‘Resetting Agenda’ as promised in the lead to the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary election.

Ghanamps.com

The Rt. Hon. Speaker of the 9th Parliament Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has said the immediate eighth Parliament should not be condemned as is being done by Ghanaians; rather the world is praising Ghana for having a hang Parliament that has lasted for four years.

According to him the 8th Parliament has delivered a smooth transition of power from a party in opposition to a party in government that is the record that is being analyzed all over the world.

Commenting on the new leadership of the NDC Majority, Speaker Bagbin noted that he is worried that a clear hang parliament of the 8th Parliament, some people are still not clear in their mind and still describe it as seeming hang Parliament.

“In the West Minister system it has happened in many countries, in the UK it has happened a number of times same with Australia and in India, and it use to happen in the United States of America, and they legislate on it”, adding that about 90 percent of hang parliaments do not go for their full term of office”, he noted.

According to him, when it occurred in Ghana in 1979 it only lasted for 27 months; “people forget all this and saying this is the first time that Ghana has a hanged parliament. It happened between PNP and Popular Front Party and lasted twenty-seven months. In the UK recently, we had a hang Parliament and they were compelled to change their Prime Ministers.

Ours, lasted four successful years and delivered a smooth transition of power, and researchers should recognize this achievement”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Parliament has approved the first batch of Ministers designate by President John Dramani Mahama following their successful vetting by the Appointments Committee.

The approval follows the Committee’s unanimous recommendation of Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam and Majority Leader; John Jinapor, MP for Yapei-Kusawgu; and Dr Dominic Ayine, MP for Bolgatanga East, for ministerial positions.

Parliament debated the motion for the approval of the nominees on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, presided over the session as the House debated the approval of the nominees.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com