
Audio By Carbonatix
A political scientist at the University of Ghana is worried about the lack of accountability whenever tax bills are passed.
Dr Kwame Asah-Asante says leaders of the country are quick to come out with new tax bills but are unable to provide detailed accountability on revenues earned from these taxes.
“The issue is that, are we going to be able to manage the resources so well that will be derived from this revenue? We have seen it time and again that our leaders are quick to come out with tax or taxes, but the money generated from it, we find it difficult to account for them,” he said on Monday.
On March 31, Parliament approved three new tax bills proposed by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to Mr Ofori-Atta, the bills are crucial for the progress of government’s pursuit of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.
The new tax bills include; the Income Tax Amendment Bill, The Excise Duty Amendment Bill and the Growth and Sustainability Amendment Bill and are expected to rake in close to GHs4 billion.
Speaking on the AM Show on JoyNews’, Dr Asah-Asante reiterated that the passing of the bills “is a good beginning for our journey to the IMF” but indicated that those in charge have not been accountable.
The political scientist lamented citizens' inability to demand accountability and as a result, government always slaps taxes on the people without disclosing details of revenues gained.
Meanwhile, he added that the government’s energy that is being used to make sure that it gets the basics right in securing an IMF deal could be channelled into creating home–grown solutions where there would be no need to seek an IMF bailout.
“If you look at how government wants to meet all the specifics directed by the IMF, right? They want to get all those basics right to have the facility.
"Then I ask myself; that energy that you derive from the system to pursue this programme, couldn’t you have used it in your economy, build the necessary capacity that you don’t go to the IMF,” he said.
According to him, Ghana always finds itself “in tears” as a result of some unfavourable conditions attached to the IMF deal.
Latest Stories
-
Tony Elumelu retires as UBA Group Chairman after 12 years; Emmanuel Nnorom takes over
3 minutes -
Flood Mitigation Task Force to demolish buildings blocking waterways in Damfa , Oyarifa and Tesa
11 minutes -
Digital fraud, card disputes top banking complaints in 2025 – BoG Report
24 minutes -
NDC regional treasurer challenges suspension of Walewale Zongo caucus coordinator
31 minutes -
MobileMoney Fintech deepens trust and security across MoMo ecosystem with KYC update
44 minutes -
Congo says confirmed Ebola cases rise to 1,561, including 506 deaths
59 minutes -
Nigerian student dies after suffering injuries in Russian airstrike
1 hour -
The Accra Floods: Whiles we build a new city, let’s fix the one we have
1 hour -
Digital fraud shows criminals have moved from the street to the screen – Prof. Bokpin
2 hours -
‘Trust is a currency’: BoG warns fraud could derail Ghana’s push towards a cash-lite economy
2 hours -
Finance Ministry flags $4.2m in unretired GARID Funds under Akufo-Addo government
2 hours -
Financial literacy must become part of Ghana’s anti-fraud strategy – Economist
2 hours -
Interior Minister urges GIS Commanders to develop sustainable solutions to service delivery
3 hours -
$65m flood protection cash was diverted to Covid under Akufo-Addo – Finance Ministry
3 hours -
Build Ghanaian coaches – ADC urges after Black Stars World Cup exit
3 hours