The member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Honorable Okudzeto Ablakwa has reacted to the just ended sitting in parliament on Thursday.
On Thursday, December 22, members of parliament deliberated on the 2023 budget. The key item in the budget is the 2.5% increment in VAT. After a heated debate on the floor of Parliament about the increment in VATs, the matter was put to voting and the Majority won.
The Majority won with 136 votes as against the Minority’s 135.
The introduction of the 2.5 percent increment in VAT in the 2023 budget read on Thursday, November 24 came as a surprise to many, especially given the resistance by the current president, then a member of the opposition in 1995, when the tax was introduced.
Nana Akufo-Addo was one of the leaders of the popular deadly ‘Kumi Pr3ko’ demonstration against the Rawlings-led administration.
In arguing against the policy on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday night, Ranking Member on the Finance Committee Dr Cassiel Ato Forson cautioned against the introduction of the 2.5 percent increment at this time of economic turmoil.
“I do not believe that this is the time to introduce a VAT, a tax that seems to take away additional disposable income,” he stated.
“I urge the Ministry of Finance to wait for this measure and introduce this single tax handle at the right time, during times of stability, particularly at a time when disposable income has not been eroded by 300 percent,” the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Member of Parliament (MP) urged.
Nhyiaeso MP Dr Stephen Amoah, however, challenged the Ranking Member and said even “giant” economies like that of the US are facing inflationary challenges and increasing taxes.
He said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) only wants to reject the VAT to “destroy the country because they want Ghanaians to vote for them”.
“I am urging my brothers [in the Minority] to bury their ego, to stop displaying their egotrips and support this good alternative and ensure that this country could rise up to continue the good works that we are doing.”
The Amendment Bill was approved.
According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, he is deeply pained by the results of the election. He added that the NDC as a party will fight for Ghanaians once again and make sure that the NPP government does the needful next time.
In a Facebook posy sighted by ghanaeducation.org, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa listed some of the victories in parliament and also the also defeat on Thursday sitting.
Below is his full post on Facebook.
A summary of our 2023 Budget Approval Successes:
1) GHS1.3billion (€116million) Accra International Conference Centre Demolition and Redevelopment plans scuttled;
2) Projections to establish new diplomatic missions in Jamaica, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago shot down;
3) GHS80million sleazy allocation to President Akufo-Addo’s Cathedral defeated and expunged from the Appropriation Act;
4) GHS1.4billion mind-boggling request for the infamous Contingency Vote cut drastically to GHS533million;
5) Anti-poor proposal to remove the e-Levy threshold defeated;
6) Scrapping a colossal GHS27.5million allocation to the wasteful and amorphous Special Development Initiatives Secretariat & the needless Monitoring and Evaluation Secretariat all at the Office of the President. The 2 Secretariats have therefore been virtually collapsed;
7) Defeated the repugnant tax measure intended to compel drivers, particularly commercial drivers to produce tax clearance certificates as a requirement for renewing driver’s license;
Our only setback:
Objectively and sincerely, despite an unwavering determination of the NDC Parliamentary Caucus to achieve all we set out to accomplish in solidarity with suffering Ghanaians, we lost the crucial VAT vote by a narrow 136-135.
This is the only item on our 8-Point Must-Win-Agenda which we failed to deliver, and for which we are deeply pained. We did our very best but as they say, it’s always difficult to win everything. Nevertheless, we live to fight another day.Together, with a high dose of patriotism and unquestionable integrity, we shall construct the Ghana we want.
Ghana First