‘Kayayei’:Thanks For The Relief

I should be very grateful for yesterday that saw the MOF mention in his presentation of the Governments maiden budget on Thursday, the abolishment of levies imposed on head porters by local authorities. It is a welcoming news that all well-meaning Ghanaians should warmly embrace without recourse to any politically motivated emotion. I consider as cruel whoever that is unhesitant in engaging in a shameless criticism of this tax measure.

A relief to the poor. A well-known fact is that no one loves to pay tax. In fact, it is being said that any person who claims to love paying taxes is not normal. If this is said of all humans than what is it that can be said of those whose meagre income is nothing short of a chicken change? But do they even make those monies decently and comfortably as will be preferred. Walking under the full glare of the sky and being subjected to the unintended enhanced interrogation of the sun. A tired child on the back that is no less deserving of a happy sleep than any other child everywhere. It hurts even deeper to acknowledge that our women are at the center of this ‘Kayayei’ business. Our women deserve better and if we are not creating that betterness than we shouldn’t even put ourselves in the position of making their situations worse.

In the end what do they get from their toil? Nothing but a paltry amount that is received with utmost welcome while awaiting the extortion by the tax man in the name of developing the nation. In the first place it is the duty of the nation to ensure that the ‘Kayayei’ has a decent standard of living. Whose duty was it to take care of the head porter when she was a child in the first place? If the government never faulted, then we possibly could have been without head porters.

Is it not discriminatory to think that the abolishment of this cruel levy imposed on ‘Kayeyei’ is discriminatory? Is it not unfair to contend that scrapping off this significant burden on the least paid is needless? It is discourteous and an inconsiderate manner of displaying one’s share self-centredness. It will simply be political activism parading as concern for our welfare.

It is necessary for me to at this juncture touch briefly on why this measure is irreplaceable. In doing so I would like to draw my analogy from the income tax structure of Ghana. Now you would realise that the tax schedule in its bid to reduce the burden that accompanies the payment of taxes provides a threshold for chargeable income.

Such that any economic being that earns below such threshold is charitably excused from the payment of taxes. By so doing Government turns to be bridging the inequality gap that exist between the rich and the poor. So the question now is how much does the ‘kayayei’ earn? Far below the threshold set by the law. It may be argued that the income accruing to the ‘kayayei’ varies. Yes, but on the larger scale they earn an income that is regarded as indecent.

Oddly enough, some people think that ‘Kayayei’ levies shouldn’t be abolished because that will amount to selective granting of reliefs or because other traders in the market will still pay taxes. That’s a very shallow perspective in analyzing the measure. As already said the emphasis is how much they earn and the ‘Kayayei’ earns a very minimal income.

I welcome the sad reality that most of those who work as head porters in our cities are my people, my brethren from northern Ghana, and as I still hope that a better collective effort and redemptive strategies will be adopted to bring lasting solution to the poor conditions in which they leave, and simultaneously solving the menace of migration, the abolishment of ‘Kayayei’ levy couldn’t have been a better news.

Yakubu Ahmed Fatogma
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