General News of Tuesday, 17 July 2018

Source: kasapafmonline.com

Tax increase: Akufo-Addo-led government is visionless – Adongo

Isaac Adongo, MP for Bolga Central Isaac Adongo, MP for Bolga Central

The issue of the widely-reported introduction of new taxes and increase in already existing taxes by the Akufo-Addo-led administration is a clear indication of clueless and visionless government, according to the Bolgatanga Central MP, Isaac Adongo.

“You can’t have a government that cannot see beyond one year, if you have a government that cannot see beyond one year and they brought a 2016 budget which couldn’t even see beyond six months, so clearly this is a clueless government” he told host of Anopa Kasapa Morning Show on Kasapa 102.5 FM, Kwaku Owusu Adjei.

According to the Bolga Central legislator, the Akufo-Addo-led administration has deceived Ghanaians by telling the Ghanaian public that is was moving from taxation to production, only to turn around a few months on to impose new taxes on the people.

To him, government would only be worsening the plight and the sufferings of Ghanaians if it should go ahead with the increment or introduce new taxes.

“Nothing has changed in the last six months, some of the taxes are very draconian, the worst you can do is probably to rethink the position you took but you are rather escalating the situation” he said.

He argued that, revenue generation is not much of a problem for the NPP government but rather misplacement of priority is what is affecting the delivery of the Akufo-Addo government.

Although the minority has hinted on a decision by government to increase taxes and possibly introduce new taxes, there isn’t any official communication from government yet to that effect. The Finance minister, Ken Ofori-Attah will on Thursday, put out the midyear budget review in parliament.

Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson in a press conference yesterday predicted that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta would on Thursday announce a barrage of new taxes and reintroduce some old taxes scrapped in the 2017 budget, in his mid-year budget review.