We must take fair share of blame for state of economy - Ex-Methodist Bishop defends IMF move

Rt Rev. Bosomtwe Ayensu, a former Methodist Bishop of Obuasi has tasked Ghanaians to take blame for the state of the country as much as they blame the government of the day.

He told Accra-based Rainbow Radio in an interview (April 17, 2023) that it was untenable that Ghanaians were always fixated on demanding of government but not meeting political leadership halfway.

Zooming in on the state of the economy, he defended government's decision to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stating that they were forced to do so. He also mentioned how Ghanaians appeared averse to paying taxes.

"People keep complaining the taxes we pay are one too many. Ghanaians are not truthful and wicked. We do not want to help each other. We must be responsible and truthful, and patriotic.

"We should also blame ourselves as Ghanaians just as we blame the government. We keep blaming the government but have refused to blame ourselves for whatever we have also contributed to the mess we are in. What are we also doing to help the country develop?” he quizzed.

On the issue of government's return to the IMF, he explained: "This is not deliberate. The government had told us that it would not go back to the IMF, but in the past, they told us they would not go.

"There is a reason for whatever we do. What happened was not deliberate, and if we see anything deliberate, we will talk,” he told Kwabena Agyapong on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm.

Government has serially blamed the COVID pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war for the economic challenges.

Some domestic measures to secure an IMF bailout was the passage and recent assent of three new taxes: Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill, 2022, the Ghana Revenue Authority Bill 2022 and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022.

The bills were presented to Parliament as part of government's plans to raise about 4 billion Ghana Cedis annually in domestic revenue mobilisation.

They are also crucial to help secure Board Approval for the US$3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programme after a staff-level agreement was reached late last year.

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