'On what grounds are you saying Ato Forson is not spending?' — Atta Issah quizzes MP

Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu and a member of Parliament's Finance Committee, Atta Issah, has defended Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson against claims by the Minority that he is failing to generate enough revenue and execute government spending.

Contributing to the debate on the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament on Tuesday, July 28, the lawmaker argued that official fiscal data contradicts the Minority's criticisms of the Finance Minister's performance.

He noted that a comparison of revenue and expenditure figures from the New Patriotic Party's first term in office and the current administration shows that Dr. Ato Forson has performed creditably despite the challenges facing the economy.

"The same Finance Minister they say is not spending, in 2025 he budgeted to raise GH¢229.95 billion. He had GH¢226.49 billion. He only lost GH¢3.46 billion. On what grounds, what temerity do you have to say that Ato Forson is not raising enough revenue?" he asked.

Atta Issah said the NPP's strongest fiscal years were between 2017 and 2019, yet government still failed to meet its revenue targets by billions of cedis during those years.

He argued that the current Finance Minister's revenue performance compares favourably with those years and argued that criticisms of his fiscal management are not supported by the available data.

"Ato Forson, they say he is not spending. In 2025, he spent 94.4 percent. On what grounds are you saying he's not spending?" asked the MP.

The Sagnarigu MP further stated that expenditure execution under the current administration is comparable to the levels recorded during the NPP's early years in government.

He further urged the Minority to refrain from what he described as politically motivated criticism and instead assess the Finance Minister based on the fiscal figures.