Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central and Chairman of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Isaac Adongo, has expressed concern over the widespread public mistrust in Ghana’s tax system, stating that many citizens feel the system is unfair and does not serve their interests.

Speaking on GHOne TV following recent initiatives announced by President John Dramani Mahama, Adongo emphasised that public perception plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of tax collection.

According to him, Ghanaians are more likely to resist taxation when they believe the process is inequitable or that public funds are being mismanaged.

“Confidence and trust are very key in the management of an economy. One of the challenges Ghanaians face when it comes to paying taxes is that they don’t believe they are being taxed fairly, nor do they trust that their money will be spent wisely,” he stated.

Adongo praised the shift in fiscal priorities seen in the current budget, noting that, for the first time in many years, the focus appears to be on taxing the wealthy to support the vulnerable.

“There has been a paradigm shift where, in this budget, the Minister for Finance, together with the Cabinet of Ghana, made a clear decision to take more from the rich to fund programs that benefit the poor and the implications are already visible,” he explained.

He also referenced the launch of two major social programs spearheaded by the President; MahamaCares, a healthcare trust fund aimed at supporting Ghanaians battling chronic illnesses, and the National Apprenticeship Programme, which targets over 10,000 unemployed youth.

“Recently, His Excellency launched a program to support over 10,000 unemployed Ghanaian youth through the National Apprenticeship Programme. He’s thinking about healthcare, and also about giving back to the people of Ghana who pay taxes but find themselves in difficult health situations. That’s MahamaCares,” he pointed out.

FKA/MA

Watch the latest edition of BizTech below:



Click here to follow the GhanaWeb Business WhatsApp channel