The Majority Caucus in Parliament has accused the former Mahama administration of illegally granting tax exemptions to Dzata Cement, a cement manufacturing firm. 

The Caucus claims that former President John Dramani Mahama, through executive authorization, designated several firms, including Dzata Cement, as strategic investors and offered them tax waivers without seeking Parliamentary approval.

Speaking to the media in Accra on Thursday, May 30, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, highlighted these allegations and called for greater transparency in the granting of tax exemptions. 

The Efuttu Member of Parliament emphasised the need for Parliamentary oversight to prevent any abuse of executive power in such matters.

Mr Afenyo-Markin also urged the Minority Caucus to support the current government’s efforts to industrialize the economy. 

He specifically pointed to the One District, One Factory policy, which aims to promote industrialisation by offering tax exemptions to companies, as a key initiative that requires bipartisan support.

“Dzata Cement was a company that benefitted from this unconstitutional and illegal tax incentives, but we all know that by the imperative of the [1992] Constitution, it is only Parliament that can impose tax or waive taxation but some actions of the executive under certain rule of necessity, Dzata Cement was granted a tax waiver, and we did not complain because we were told that Dzata Cement was a strategic investor," he said.