The Buisila South MP, Dr Clement Apaak, has condemned the introduction of new taxes by government in the 2021 Budget Statement.

He said because of the Covid-19 pandemic it is unfair for government to put additional strain on citizens when production is low and personal income has dwindled.

“This is the most insensitive budget in the history of the Republic.  Every government across the world has instituted what we call stimulus packages to try and support the citizens, revive businesses, revive the economy, and what do they do? Imposing taxes on almost every sector where they should rather be reducing taxes to allow for a revival of the economy.”

He was speaking to JoyNews' George Wiafe after the Interim Finance Minister Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu presented the 2021 Budget statement to Parliament, Friday.

Dr Apaak said with the introduction of the new taxes, Ghanaians will struggle regardless of the many problems they had to go through over the past year.

The Caretaker Finance Minister said government will be introducing a Covid-19 Health Levy of 1% on VAT, Flat Rate Scheme (VFRS) and a 1% on National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) as part of revenue measures to help the economy recover.

Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu also announced the introduction of the Sanitation and Pollution Levy, the Energy Sector Recovery Levy and the increase in road tolls.

Dr Apaak said that it is insensitive for Ghanaians to deal with these new taxes while they are trying to pull themselves and their business up after being run down by Covid-19.

“Ghanaians should brace themselves for a lot more difficulty, because, obviously when a budget is focused on taxation, a time where productivity has gone down, the industry is suffering, personal incomes have dwindled, people have lost jobs, there's a lot of hopelessness and distress in society. well God save us all.”

He added that government failed to make an impact on other sectors especially education adding that many of the interventions are a carryover from previous statements.

He said that “they told us that they have a better program they are better managers of the economy, they claim that they do financial engineering. Those were some of the lofty ideas that they proposed to Ghanaians but we are not seeing anything.”

Dr Apaak added that it is insensitive for the government to blame the previous government for the struggles they are facing as a result of their own “incompetence”.