The Minority in Parliament has criticised Vice President Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia for leading the government to implement policies that have crippled businesses.
According to the minority caucus, 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. 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.”
The minority comments follow recent remarks by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), regarding the revenue mobilization methods employed by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
In a press statement signed by its leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, it asserts that they are shocked to note that Alhaji Bawumia had the audacity to single out GRA workers for attack and condemnation after the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government had imposed a lot of taxes on businesses and Ghanaians.
“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.”
To the minority, it is hypocritical and deceptive on the part of Alhaji Bawuima, 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 marshalled the numbers of the Majority Caucus in parliament to fight tooth and nail to pass regressive, punitive, draconian and insensitive taxes.
The NDC Minority Caucus criticized the tax burden and plans to introduce a bill for the immediate removal of e-levy, emission tax, and betting tax. While the government agrees to abolish these levies, disagreement persists over the timeline, with Bawumia advocating for future action while the NDC insists on immediate repeal.
By Eugene Davis
