The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu has said that the system will not be able to bear the hardships presented by the 2022 Budget Statement.
According to him, the system is already “hot” and yet the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta has introduced more taxes into the system.
He was speaking after the presentation of the 2022 Budget statement dubbed the ‘Agyenkwa’ Budget on the floor of parliament.
“Mr. Speaker, Krom Ay3 Shi. The system is hot. The system will not be able to bear the hardships. Mr. Speaker, it is only the honourable minister who ironically eases burden to quote his words and there is no emotion about the suffering of Ghanaians yet he is imposing further suffering; imposing 1.75% electronic levy on MoMo and bank transactions. So, it is only Ken Ofori Atta who eases suffering with imposition of new taxes targeted at 15billion Ghana Cedis within this period,” he said.
The government of Ghana has introduced an electronic transaction levy, E-Levy on Mobile Money transactions and other electronic transactions.
The Minister said this was a strategy to widen the tax net and reduce the burden on the few Ghanaians paying their taxes.
The Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta presented the 2022 budget today Wednesday, November, 17th 2021.
It had previously been scheduled for November 15, 2021, however, the Second Deputy Speaker, Mr Andrew Asiamah Amoako, (Ind., Fomena) announced the date reversal on Wednesday and said the House will have other important events to attend on November 15.
The presentation of the budget is by Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and section 21 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).