The Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has advised the government not to attempt to increase taxes in the mid-year budget review scheduled for July 25. 

Dr Ato Forson said that will not be prudent as Ghanaians are already suffering from the current economic crisis. 

According to him, the NDC MPs will resist any move by the government to do so. 

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express with Evans Mensah on Wednesday, July 12, the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam MP said he would have gone for a cut in expenditure as against an introduction or increase in taxes if he was the Finance Minister. 

He insisted that there is a massive room for expenditure cuts in the government and that the government should look inward rather than impoverishing the citizenry. 

“I won’t be surprised if the government introduces new measures because if you read the MEFP, the IMF is asking for additional measures of about 1% of GDP and I don’t know where that is going to come from.

“If I look carefully, there is a massive room for expenditure cuts but the government obviously is indiscipline and they don’t seem to care.

“They want to live large on the back of the people of Ghana. So they need to cut that kind of expenditure and if I am the one in charge or responsible, I would rather go for a cut in expenditure as against a tax measure or an increase in taxation.”

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta will on July 25, present the 2023 Mid-Year Budget Review to Parliament. 

This will be the first time he is doing so after the government successfully signed onto an IMF deal. 

Ahead of that, industry players have already asked the government to use the opportunity to remove some tax handles. 

The taxes include the tax on sanitary pads amongst others.