Gabby now de facto president - Mintah Akandoh

Former Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaboso Constituency in the Western Region, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has described member of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko as a de facto President of Ghana.

He says the former Director of the Danquah Institute takes decisions for the government and looks like he is some how running a parallel government.

Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh wondered why the President has allowed Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a cousin to President Akufo-Addo, to make such a pronouncement concerning the increment of taxes.

According to him, Gabby, has become so powerful and has been left to make unnecessary comments and even make some decisions.

“Is Gabby the right person to come out and tell us about increment of taxes? Who is he to make such pronouncements? I think he has become so powerful to the extent that I now see him as a de facto President,” he said.

This notwithstanding, Mr Akandoh believes Akufo-Addo’s proposed new taxes would rather end up crippling businesses.

Ahead of the mid-year budget presentation to Parliament, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko hinted that government will increase tax to raise more revenue.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the former Director of think tank, Danquah Institute wrote: “will you support a VAT increase to keep your lights on, your secondary schools filled, your school kids fed, your streets clean, your streets safe, young graduates employed, and decent, affordable homes built for working families?”

Reacting to the development, former President, John Dramani Mahama said the intended plan will worsen the hardship being experienced by Ghanaian businesses.

“The Ghanaian business sector has never experienced such difficult times in the history of the 4th Republic. Akufo-Addo’s proposed new taxes would cripple businesses further and also defeat his much-touted mantra of “from taxation to production,” the former leader said in a Tweet.