Managing Editor of the Custodian Newspaper, Awudu Mahama has chided Ghanaians for bitterly complaining about the Government’s decision to increase and introduce new taxes, with the excuse that the coronavirus disease has wreaked havoc on businesses and private lives.
He believes the country’s debt burden is still high and cannot afford to borrow to develop and grow, hence the “government’s decision to share the country’s debt burden”.
“Someone contributed to taxes in the countries we go and borrow from but we don’t want to pay any? The country’s debt burden is already high and we cannot afford to borrow, especially when there is no money around to borrow globally”, he said.
Acknowledging that every nation globally is facing economic challenges, he was however adamant on the need for these taxes to be scrapped. “You can’t borrow to grow as a country and that is why we talk about debt sharing. It is difficult for people to pay taxes globally but not just in Ghana, but we need to pay taxes to be able to ask for the development that we want”.
On his accord even developed nations cannot conjure money to grow but, “it is all about taxing their people and giving them what they need”.
He described it as hypocritical for Ghanaians to agree for the government to go for loans from taxes paid by another person, “but you don’t want to pay your taxes? It doesn’t happen anywhere and that is why we say let us pay taxes”, he added.
The editor made this known in an interview on the Happy Morning show, aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy 98.9 FM, hosted by Raymond Nyamador.
Awudu admitted every country globally is burdened but deems it necessary for Ghanaians to support the government by paying taxes. “Let us share the burden and contribute to our taxes.
The caretaker Finance Minister Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu reading the 2021 budget statement and economic policy of the government said the Energy Sector Recovery Levy, COVID-19 Health Levy, and Sanitation and Pollution Levy are some of the revenue generation measures.
He announced an over 5% financial sector levy to cater for the banking sector clean-up. Road tolls will also see an upward adjustment.
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, speaking on the budget statement stated that the decision by the government to increase taxes in the 2021 budget as a means of mobilising more revenue to support national development will only subject Ghanaians to more hardships.
By: Joel Sanco