The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has threatened legal action to compel government to release details of some revenue-related agreements presented to Parliament.

The Ofoase Ayirebi MP said the Minority will rely on the Right to Information (RTI) Act and, if necessary, seek a court order to obtain contracts and other documents they believe have not been disclosed to Parliament.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said Parliament cannot approve multi-year financial commitments without knowing the cost, duration, contractors involved, and the expected fiscal impact.

His concerns follow government’s request for parliamentary approval for a multi-year commitment to roll out fiscal electronic devices.

He said although the Minority supports the fiscal electronic devices project, it cannot accept what he described as a blank cheque.

“In 2018, the Akufo-Addo government passed the Taxation Fiscal Electronic Devices Act, which was supposed to roll out fiscal electronic devices at points of sale, so that you know VAT was automated,” he said.

“They didn’t state how much the project will cost? How many years this multi-year approval is for? Who is the contractor? And number four, what is the year-by-year fiscal impact?” he added.

According to Mr Oppong Nkrumah, approving the request without those details would amount to Parliament giving government unlimited authority over a major financial commitment.

“And that was the point that we were trying to make to Mr Speaker: that if we give this approval without this information, it’s a blank cheque that has been given to the government, and no government, whether the NPP or NDC government, should be given such a blank cheque,” he stated.

He said the Minority raised similar concerns over other revenue-related transactions, including proposed taxation measures affecting international digital platforms such as Netflix and Starlink.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah argued that taxing those services again in Ghana could create a double taxation challenge.

“We explained to them in detail that people are already paying taxes on these products, wherever they are buying them from. These products and services. If you tax them again in the Ghanaian jurisdiction, that is double taxation,” he said.

He also raised concerns about a proposed domestic revenue platform, describing it as a new system intended to support revenue assurance and collection.

The former Information Minister said the Minority has decided to demand full disclosure of the agreements through legal means if necessary.

“We have served notice that we’re going to come under RTI rules to request for copies of whatever contracts, schedules, etc. which they have already, they are just not disclosing it to Parliament,” he said.

“We’re going to come under the RTI Act to request for all of these things. If they don’t disclose, we will go to court and get a court order to get all of those details because Parliament must get that information,” he added.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah also cautioned private sector companies involved in the fiscal electronic devices project, saying parliamentary approval had not yet provided them with the required protection.

“We are serving notice that they don’t have parliamentary cover. What has been given them is just a blank cheque,” he said.

He insisted that Parliament has not approved any specific company, amount or implementation schedule.

“Parliament has not approved any company, has not approved any amount, has not approved any such schedule,” he said.

He warned companies relying on the current approval to proceed with the project to ensure the proper parliamentary process is followed.

“If you want things to be done properly, ensure that proper parliamentary cover is sought for you and for this transaction that needs to take,” he added.