The Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), Dr. Peter Quartey has joined calls for government not to introduce new taxes during the 2024 Annual Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament.

This according to him is because the introduction of these new taxes will worsen the already bad business environment in the country.

Speaking on JoyNews, Dr. Quartey insists that government can efficiently use the already existing taxes without necessarily adding new ones.

“I think we can make efficient use of the existing ones and put in mechanisms to rack in more money without taxing excessively.

“I want to see in the budget some statements to ensure tax efficiency. I want to see in the budget measures to make our expenditures more value-for-money related, also new measures to improve revenue mobilization without burdening the tax based or hurting the tax payers,” he stressed.

Ahead of the 2024 budget presentation by Finance Minster, Ken Ofori-Atta, numerous organisations and individuals have appealed to government to cut down on taxes or avoid introducing new ones.

The Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG) is already demanding the scrapping of unnecessary taxes, such as the COVID-19 levy and the network service charge.

On their part, the Ghana Civil Society Organizations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is making a strong case for the removal of taxes slapped on sanitary pads.

Many have also advised the government to cut down on expenditure and outline measures to ensure it does not overspend in the 2024 election year.

Backing these stances, the Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research, said the 2024 budget is the only way government can assure Ghanaians that it is ready to break the political-business cycle of overspending in election year.

“We are going into an election year and therefore this budget should have in place measures or strategizes to break the political business cycle.

"We have been spending during election years, over spending and then the following year we clean the mess but I think we should use this opportunity to break that cycle and I believe this budget statement is a sure way of telling Ghanaians or showing Ghanaians that we are breaking the politicial-business cycle,” he added.