For those who are marginalized in society, the 2014 budget statement presented last Tuesday presents no hope for change, a CPP statement has said.

The satement issued by Nii Armah Akomfrah, CPP Director of Communication, says government is sharing "misery" not prosperity and that the budget will not meet the aspirations of Ghanaians in 2014.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr. Seth Terkper last Tuesday present government's 2014 Budget Statement in Parliament aimed at achieving a "stable, united, inclusive and prosperous country with opportunities for all and reinforce the foundation of socio-economic transformation in partnership with the private sector".

The Minister reiterated the President's commitment to enhance the 'Better Ghana Agenda' and  will put people first by addressing human development issues through decent work for all.

But putting the people first is not what the CPP believes this budget will do.

It says there is no clear plan for job creation, a position also held by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). The CPP statement said taxes will continue to oppress the poor while tax reliefs for the rich will ensure the poverty gap widens.

"Where is the so-called shared prosperity", the statement queried.

In effect, "there’s no hope in this budget for the street hawker, the bright young person who has completed the village school and is stuck there", the Party says.

Further to this, the CPP says, government is living under a false impression of national progress as it continues to use Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capita income as a measure of development. The party believes this is erroneous.

As a better indicator, the CPP recommends the use of the Human Development Indices of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

"Why is our government avoiding the use of the UNDP Human Development Indices (HDI) which is a better way of measuring welfare than the now accepted measure of GDP and per capita income? The CPP has greater confidence in the Human Development Indices, which takes into account the quality of health, education, sanitation, and food security"