Minority not in sync with Bawumia’s proposed tax policies

Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legislators will push for the removal of some nuisance taxes through a private member’s bills.

This follows Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s pledge to among other things, abolish the electronic transactions levy, emissions tax, the proposed 15 percent Value Added Tax on electricity, and other taxes introduced by the incumbent government.

According to Dr Forson, if Dr Bawumia is honest about his intentions when the private member’s bill is introduced on the floor of Parliament, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs will support it.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on February 13, he argued that the majority’s position on the matter will confirm whether or not the NPP flagbearer was honest.

All the taxes that we have opposed, we will make an attempt to get the government to remove them.

“In fact, now that the Vice President himself has come to confirm to us that they don’t want the taxes, we have already said on the floor, he is only copying what the NDC is saying.

I have said on the floor and the hansard will bear me out that the next NDC government will remove this [taxes]. I have said this. I am the first person,” he told host, Evans Mensah.

When asked why he would not wait for the next NDC to remove these taxes, the Minority leader said “Why should we wait? Ghanaians are struggling.

The only reason why this tax is still effective and your good self and my good self and the ordinary Ghanaian is paying this tax is that the NDC is not in office.”

Read also: Bawumia ‘disowns’ 4 key government tax impositions, lends credence to rumours of a rift in EMT

He stressed that the NDC was more concerned about the welfare of the populace than the governing party, therefore, in their first few months in office, they would scrap all the taxes which have overburdened the population.

In fact, if the NDC is in office and if Ghanaians vote for us, by December, our first budget before Easter, we will remove all these taxes. But now we are not in office. This is a government that is in office; they have said that they will remove it in 2025. To show good faith to the people of Ghana, we urge them to come and remove it.”

“We have to compel them and that is what it is. We have to compel them to remove these taxes because it is not easy,” he added.