Educate Ghanaians on their responsibility to pay taxes – Joe Wise charges Ofori-Atta

The Chairman of Parliament’s Appointments Committee has entreated the Finance Minister nominee to implement measures that would see to the effective generation of revenue by government once he is approved.

Joseph Osei Owusu on Friday urged Ken Ofori-Atta to embark on an education exercise to inform the general public on the need to contribute their quota to national development through payment of taxes.

“I think we should invest more in educating Ghanaians about their responsibility towards the state in paying their taxes,” he said.

Joe Wise who also doubles as the First Deputy Speaker attributed his suggestion to the “the publics’ low understanding on their role in revenue contribution.”

The Bekwai MP’s suggestion comes at a period where government has in the 2021 budget statement introduced some taxes to help elevate the economy after being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, all hands must be on deck in assisting government to help grow back the economy, emphasising that “we are at that point where every Ghanaian has to chip in a little so that we are able to recover.”

Ranking member Haruna Iddrisu who also shared similar concerns at the vetting stated that reports from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicate that the country loses about 3 to 4 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product to tax exemptions.

Highlighting on government’s Ghana Beyond Aid policy, known as the “Obaatan pa” programme, Joseph Osei Owusu requested that government should put out a “comprehensive communication material” to spell out the special roles of nationals in helping to realise that vision.

“It appears to me that we are no longer talking sufficiently about Ghana Beyond Aid. I want to see comprehensive communication material showing me, my role in ensuring that we achieve that noble objective of Ghana Beyond Aid. So every Ghanaian will know his or her specific role. These are my suggestions for you,” he stated.

According to Mr Ofori-Atta, the Ghana Cares “Obaatan pa” programme will rebound and grow the country’s economy to up to 5%.

“Amidst a historic global recession, Ghana’s economy has shown resilience and robustness, outperforming its peers. Ghana Cares programme’s implementation will see growth rebound to 5% and that is why we are confident that we will emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic with a stronger and more resilient economy,” he said.

The Ghana Cares is a ¢100 billion post-Covid programme initiated by government to stabilise, revitalize and transform Ghana’s economy and to create jobs and prosperity for Ghanaians over a three-year period.

The programme is sequenced in two phases; the stabilization phase and the medium-term revitalisation phase.