You want Ghanaians to break their back just to finance wasteful phantom expenditures – Adongo fires government
Lawmaker and Deputy Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, Isaac Adongo is not optimistic about the government putting the proposed taxes into good use.
He is of the view that the government is putting pressure on Ghanaians with no results to show for it.
The Member of Parliament also called out the government saying they are only managing narratives instead of managing the economy.
“These so-called tax measures are nothing other than wanting Ghanaians to break their back just to finance wasteful phantom expenditures that just don’t make sense,” he said.
Mr. Adongo also complained about the expenditure level in the budget, which he says is too high.
“Until they are committed to right-sizing our expenditure back to the pre-Covid era and properly account for expenditures that will occur, they should not come and put their hands in our pockets,” the MP said.
“I don’t understand how, after Covid, we have been able to fill up the same expenditure, and we are still at expenditure levels above Covid,” he added.
Government has the intention to spend an estimated GHS 137.5 billion, while GHS 100.5 billion is to be raised as total revenue for 2022.
Some plans of government also contained in the 2022 budget is the 1.75 per cent electronic transaction levy, the 15 per cent increment in fees and charges of government services, and the reversal of the discounts on import benchmark values.
However, this has not gone down well with the Minority caucus as Mr. Adongo also stressed their opposition to the electronic transaction levy.
“You don’t kill the hen that lays the golden egg. You don’t kill the people with killer taxes just because you want money. They must be alive to give you money, so government must withdraw this E-levy and think through it properly,” the MP said.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
