Today in History: Tax burden killing businesses – Seth Terkper

A former Finance minister, Seth Terkper, bemoaned the high taxes Ghanaians business have to pay. According to him, the taxes have increased significantly as compared to what was being paid during the erstwhile NDC administration. Seth Terkper noted that the government had as of 2019 increased the Energy sector levy and indirectly increased the Value Added Tax (VAT). Read the full story originally published on November 2, 2019, by abcnewsgh Seth Terkper, former Finance Minister during the erstwhile Mahama government, has contended that the tax burden remains the major bane of businesses under the tenure of the Akufo-Addo-led government, ABC News can report. According to the former Finance Minister, businesses in Ghana are paying more taxes currently compared to what they paid during the administration of former President John Mahama. He avers that this phenomenon is in contrast with what was promised to Ghanaians in the build-up to the 2016 general elections. Speaking in an interview monitored by ABC News, Seth Terkper condemned the government for the taxes it has levied on Ghanaians and businesses since they took over the governance of the country in 2017. The argument by Seth Terkper, however, is arguable considering the fact that the Akufo-Addo government scrubbed almost 17 ‘nuisance’ taxes in its first budget as a government. To buttress his point, Seth Terkper advanced that government has within the time in government increased the Energy sector levy and indirectly increased the Value Added Tax (VAT). Despite the government’s intervention, though some policies that have been lauded as innovative, aimed at improving the business climate in the country, Seth Terkper is of the view that little results have been recorded. He mentioned that the recent port reforms did not bring the expected impact as envisaged suggesting that the benchmark value that slashed import duties by up to 50 percent this year has not necessarily helped all traders but rather increased the cost of transaction for some.