Business News of Saturday, 13 January 2024

Source: starrfm.com.gh

VAT on Electricity: Ofori-Atta can’t manage Ghana’s economic recovery – Jantuah

Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister

The former Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Kwame Jantuah has stated that the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta cannot solve the economic issues of the country.

This comes on the back of a communication directed to both the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO), Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta on VAT on Electricity.

The Minister outlined that Value Added Tax (VAT) will be applicable to residential electricity customers exceeding the designated maximum consumption level specified for block charges associated with lifeline units.

Speaking on the Weekly Review segment of the Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, lawyer Jantuah stated that the current situation of the country is because Mr. Ofori-Atta has mismanaged the economy.

“You have mismanaged the economy, period! Try and make hay for the sun to shine on this kind of things that we are doing. Because it will put pressure on the people. How is this going to stop corruption, how is this going to stop galamsey, and a lot of the illicit trades that go on in this country?

“When 90 MPs came to the President and said to the President sack the Finance Minister you said no. It shows the Finance Minister is being able to handle situations we find ourselves in? For me I will say no, because he is not consulting with anybody and his is not talking to the people,” Mr. Jantuah stated.

According to him, the Finance Minister is not creating the kind of service that will help the people understand anything.

“So really and truly he is not fit to handle the recovery, period! If we were to be handling the economy well, would we have to go to the IMF? When we were shouting for them to reduce expenditure, did they reduce expenditure?

“We are just talking about cocoa syndicated loans, so when are we going to use our own revenue to be doing things for ourselves?” Mr. Jantuah stated.