The National Communication Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi has described Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as ‘the most deceitful politician in Ghana’s history’.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters on Wednesday, Sammy Gyamfi said the NDC is deeply appalled by the decision of government to reverse discounts on the benchmark values of imported goods.

In his view, the reversal is a testament of the level of deceit and lies which have characterized the current regime since they took office in January 2021. He therefore wondered what happened to a promise by Dr. Bawumia regarding the benchmark values on goods and commodities at the port.

“We in the NDC are left in no doubt whatsoever that this latest decision by Government to reverse discounts on benchmark vales of imported goods, further accentuates Dr. Bawumia’s place as the most deceitful politician in Ghana’s history.

"It would be recalled that in 2019, Dr. Bawumia contended that transactions at Ghana’s Ports were expensive compared with others in the sub-region and that government had decided to introduce discounted benchmark values in order to facilitate more trade volumes, make our ports more competitive, reduce smuggling and increase government revenues from the Ports.

Friends, the question that ought to be asked is, what has changed in just two years to warrant a reversal of that so-called “brilliant economic policy” which was introduced by the once economic messiah of the NPP who has now turned himself into an IT champion? What happened to all the justifications Dr. Bawumia mounted for the introduction of the discounted benchmark values?” Sammy Gyamfi quizzed.

The NDC has therefore called on the Ghana Revenue Authority to rescind its decision to withdraw the existing discounts on benchmark values. According to the party, the reversal will impose untold hardship on the generality of the Ghanaian populace, thus the need for government to pull the breaks accordingly.

“This terrible decision comes at a time when the national currency is depreciating and world commodity prices are increasing at an alarming rate, with freight charges and port handling charges being extremely high.

More importantly, the callous decision by government to reverse benchmark value discounts comes at a time Ghanaian businesses, startups, parents and households are reeling under a yoke of excessive taxation, persistent increases in fuel prices and high cost of living never before witnessed in the annals of our country.

The NDC holds the view, that this is not the time for more taxes and draconian revenue measures such as the reversal of benchmark value discounts. We share in the view expoused by GUTA that the GRA withdraws the statement announcing this measure which will only go a long way to stifle the already burdened businesses in the country,” Mr. Gyamfi stressed.

At the start of the new year, government announced the reversal of benchmark value discounts . The decision has so far been condemned by some trade unions and citizens, who believe the policy is an unfavourable one.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) maintains that the move is to ensure that importers or agents pay 100% duty on selected items.