VAT: Why Botchwey pitched rate at 17.5 per cent

Addressing a recent meeting of the Association of Ghana Industries, Ghana's Finance Minister said that VAT was pegged at 17.5% because his ministry took cognisance of arresting evasion, malfeasance, avoidance and complaints and when these are properly streamlined, the ministry would think of scaling down the rate.

The Minister attributed the rumblings from the public to apathy on the pre-VAT educational campaign which was launched to sensitise people on the new tax policy. Ghanaians, he said, ignored the campaign messages only to react "when VAT began to pinch".