Ghana will have the lowest tax regime in ECOWAS if I'm elected as president – Alan Kyerematen

The leader and founder of the Movement for Change and independent presidential hopeful, Alan Kyerematen, has pledged to implement the lowest tax regime within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc if elected president in the upcoming December 7 polls.

Mr. Alan Kyerematen unveiled his vision for tax reform during a meeting with the leadership of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA).

He outlined specific measures aimed at achieving this goal, including:

Consolidating the existing National Health Insurance Levy and Ghana Education Trust Fund levies into calculating a new Value Added Tax (VAT) rate.

He said his government would abolish the 2% Special Import Levy. He will also abolish the COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy.

He promised the elimination of the Ghana Health Service Disinfection Fee on imports and exports.

He pledged his government's commitment to abolish all taxes and charges on the importation of spare parts within two years of establishing the much-talked-about Government of National Unity.

He promised a review and consolidation of all statutory fees on imports imposed by regulatory agencies under a new Cash Waterfall mechanism designed to alleviate the financial burden on importers.

Mr. Kyerematen's proposed reforms aim to streamline the tax system, reduce the tax burden on businesses and individuals, and promote economic growth and competitiveness.

If elected, he said he intends to prioritise these measures to create a more conducive environment for trade and investment in Ghana.

"The trading community is a critical component of the Ghanaian economic architecture, and all efforts must be deployed to make them competitive," he concluded.