The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has sharply criticised the government’s recent claims that it has abolished six taxes, asserting that only two taxes have actually been removed.
According to Mr Nkrumah, while the government has publicly celebrated the removal of several taxes, only the 1% Electronic Transactions Levy (E-Levy) and the 1.5% withholding tax on the mining of unprocessed gold by small-scale miners had been abolished.
He emphasised that the public has been misled regarding the extent of the tax cuts.
“The government claims to have removed six taxes, but when you carefully examine the budget appendices, you will realise that only two have actually been removed,” Mr Nkrumah stated.
He further noted the financial implications of the E-Levy’s removal, which had previously generated GH₵2.2 billion in revenue.
The Ranking Member speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen expressed concern that the government’s fiscal policies have created a revenue shortfall that will need to be addressed.
“With the removal of the E-Levy, the government has lost GH₵2.2 billion in revenue, leading to a significant gap in our finances,” Nkrumah pointed out.
He further added “This must be acknowledged, and a plan to fill this gap must be presented.”
Mr Nkrumah also accused the government of failing to scrap other taxes it had promised to remove.
Despite claims of eliminating several levies, the emission levy, VAT on motor vehicle insurance, the betting tax, and the 1% COVID-19 levy remain in place, according to the MP.
“The budget appendices clearly show that these taxes have not been abolished,” Mr Nkrumah asserted.
He criticised the government for what he describes as an attempt to create false impressions through rhetoric.
“We cannot allow the government to create a false impression by simply speaking English to us. The facts speak for themselves.”
