Presidents Of United States Do.

By Leo R. Sam

The practice of allowing people in high places to enjoy undue privileges in Ghanaian Society should be examined critically.

Most developed countries depend on TAXES paid by individual citizens and businesses to generate the revenue needed to run the country.

Good Patriotic citizens and responsible Businesses must therefore willingly pay their FAIR SHARE of taxes to help generate the revenue needed to run the country. Individual citizens, who find ways and means of avoiding payment of legitimate taxes must not consider themselves as SMART. They must see themselves as NATION WRECKERS. Public employees ( Custom Officers, Bank Managers, Lawyers, Judges etc. ) who aid and abet citizens to cheat the tax system should consider themselves as EXTREME NATION WRECKERS.

Exporters and importers, who indulge in bribing custom officials to avoid paying legitimate taxes, should realize that they are shooting themselves in the foot. How do they expect the port authorities to find money to MENTAIN the port facilities for their future exports? The habit of finding techniques to beat the tax system is COUNTER PRODUCTIVE in the long run.

The top Ghanaian Citizens ( Presidents, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament etc. ) must lead by example to show the ordinary citizen that everyone has an OBLIGATION to pay taxes.

Governments depend on taxes to run the affairs of the country. It is therefore right to expect that all citizens pay their fair share of the burden.

Martin Luther King Jr. stated : "THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT."

Below is a statement released by the White House about taxes paid by the Obamas.

" WASHINGTON / U.S. President Barack Obama's income dropped substantially in 2010 from the previous year due to declining book sales, but he is still comfortably in the ranks of the nation's millionaires, his federal tax returns show.

The Obama family earned $1.732 million U.S. last year, largely from sales of the president's books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope.

Obama also derived income from his new children's book, Of Thee I Sing: A letter to My Daughters, but he donated all proceeds to a charity benefiting children of slain and disabled soldiers, the White house said.

The Obamas paid a total of $45,400 in federal taxes and $52,000 in Illinois taxes. "

THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF TRUE TRANSPARENCY IN THE FINACIAL AFFAIRS OF A POLITICIAN IN A TRUE DEMOCRACY. When will Ghanaian Politicians imitate this attitude?

The life-styles of our living presidents obviously portray that they are multi-millionaires. However, we cannot legally compel them to declare how much taxes they have paid in the past few years. They can VOLUNTARILY, declare the amounts. Will they ?

The life styles of many former politicians ( Ministers, Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Political Consultants, Political Journalists etc.), changed dramatically after entering politics. Apparently, they became members of the millionaires club during their period in politics !!!

Former politicians from the two major Parties ( NDC & NPP ) appear to have joined the millionaires club during the time they were actively involved in politics. They can now contribute to the Common Good by paying taxes.

My humble suggestion is that Parliament should put legislation in place NOW, to permit the auditor-general to reveal the taxes paid by the following elected officials in 2018:

1. The President

2. The Vice President

3. The Leader of the Opposition

4. The General Secretary of the Party in Power

5. The General Secretary of the Party in Opposition

6. Ministers in Government

7.. Shadow Minister in Opposition

8. Members of Parliament

The information should be available on line to allow all citizens, who are interested to scrutinize.

Availability of Tax information on elected officials MAY deter some people, who just go into politics to enrich themselves at the expense of the COMMON GOOD.

If the legislation is put into place NOW, then the Presidential Candidates as well as other Parliamentary Candidates in the 2016 Election, will be aware and cannot complain when their tax information is released in 2018.

The legislation should specify the DATE on which the tax information should be released. A suitable date could be a week before the President presents the STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS. Citizens will have a chance to compare the rosy information usually presented in the address with the amount, which the President has contributed towards the projects proposed or are in progress. For instance, if a President suggests that Schools Under Trees will be replaced with mortar, then citizens will know how much the President has really contributed to the project.

Perhaps we should call that day: TAX REVELATION DAY FOR " BIG MEN ".

Tax Evasion by "BIG MEN" , "BIG WOMEN" , fraudulent importers and exporters must be clamped down as much as possible to help raise revenue for Ghana.

Unless, at least, 51% of PATRIOTIC GHANAIANS decide to to pay their fair share of taxes, the development of the country will be at a standstill.

Without paying taxes to be used for development projects, headlines such as the following will continue to appear in our newspapers:

1. Over 80% Of Ghanaians Lack Access To Sanitation

2. Over a 1000 Schools Under Trees In Ghana

3. 4.8 Million Ghanaians Defecate In The Open ( Free Range )

4. Tons Of Gold Imports From Ghana Turn To Dust In Dubai

5. Accra's Public Places Of Inconvenience.

May the Good Lord Save Ghana from Tax Evaders !!!

Lsam@interbaun.com.