Tax increase: Hypocrisy will kill Minority MPs - Abronye DC 

Maverick Brong Ahafo Regional First Vice Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe popularly known as Abronye DC has opined that hypocrisy would killed the Minority MPs in Ghana's Parliament for speaking against President Akufo-Addo led administration on taxation.

The Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Casiel Ato Forson led his colleague MPs on Monday, July 16, 2018 addressed the media on a yet to be read Mid-Year Budget which would be addressed by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Attah and predicted that the NPP government will increase VAT.

According to him, Akufo-Addo’s key promise of moving Ghana’s economy from taxation to production has completely failed to materialise.

“We heard Akufo-Addo before the elections…he said they will move this country from taxation to production. NPP promised heaven but they have delivered and continue to deliver hell to us all,” the former deputy Finance Minister told Morning Starr host Francis Abban Tuesday.

Ato Forson’s comment comes after he claimed at a Minority Breakfast meeting on Monday that the government was planning to increase taxes in the mid-year budget review statement to be presented to Parliament.

Ato Forson added “amidst deliberate misrepresentation of the facts about our debt position, its computation and rationale for borrowing, they also claimed to possess the magic to mobilize domestic resources to finance their campaign promises. They dismissed borrowing as “a lazy approach” to economic management and promised a different paradigm.”

“Contrary to these claims, our public debt has ballooned to GH¢ 154 billion (excluding the Energy Bond of GHC 4.7 Billion) as of May, 2018 from GH¢ 122 billion in January, 2017,” he stated noting “it is expected to increase further by GH¢3.8 billion – (1.7 billion + 1.4 billion + 0.7 billion)–should the financing plan specified above, i.e. selling state assets, prepayment of license fees, and monetization of mineral royalties, fail to materialize.”

But in a sharp rebuttal, Abronye DC said the Minority MPs don't have the moral right to about taxation in this country and described them as hypocrites.

He opined that the Minority who were then Majority in parliament introduced bogus taxes to cripple businesses in the country.

"The very people who addressed the press conference yesterday, (Con men) whilst in government (as Majority in parliament), initiated some dubious, bogus and unnecessary taxes which has been abolished and some reviewed by the current government", he said.

He, however explained, "Special Import Levy of 1%. This unnecessary tax has however been abolished by the current government. Special Petroleum Tax of 17.5% has been reduced by the Nana Addo government to 15%, National Fiscal Stabilization Levy of 5% has also been reduced to 3%. Financial Services Tax of 17% has been abolished and cancelled by the current government".

"However, it must be noted that upon all the taxes we the citizens of Ghana were paying under Mahama, the cost of electricity under Mahama was still unprecedented.

Under the regime of Mahama and the NDC, a prepaid unit bought at GhS 50.00 would only last for less than 2 weeks but now under Nana Addo, same amount purchased used under same conditions will last for more than a month even though those unnecessary taxes initiated by those Con men has been abolished", he chided.

Below is the full statement
THE HYPOCRISY WILL KILL THESE CON MEN IN GHANA'S PARLIAMENT

Yesterday, the minority in Ghana's parliament addressed a press conference and predicted that, in the yet to be read Mid year budget, the government will be increasing VAT (Value Added Tax) and if same happens, it will breed hardships in Ghana.

Last year, prior to the reading of the annual budget by the finance minister, these same con men addressed a similar press conference on 14-11.2018.

The press conference was captured by citifmonline.com with caption "NDC predicts mobile money tax" Paragraph 1 of the news article states that, "the minority in the National Democratic Congress in parliament has predicted tax on moblie money transactions in the 2018 budget statement to be read by the finance minister tomorrow"

This was the prediction of these Con men. However, it is clear that no were did the government via the finance minister tax transactions on mobile money.

The very people who addressed the press conference yesterday, (Con men) whilst in government (as Majority in parliament), initiated some dubious, bogus and unnecessary taxes which has been abolished and some reviewed by the current government. See breakdown below.

1. Special Import Levy of 1%. This unnecessary tax has however been abolished by the current government.

2. Special Petroleum Tax of 17.5% has been reduced by the Nana Addo government to 15%

3. National Fiscal Stabilization Levy of 5% has also been reduced to 3%.

4. Financial Services Tax of 17% has been abolished and cancelled by the current government

5. 5% VAT / NHIL rate on real estate sales has also been abolished and eradicated.

6. These Con men passed and enacted a national electrification Levy of 5% which has now been reduced to 2% by the Nana Addo government.

7. These Con men also passed a public lighting Levy of 5% which has been reduced to 3%

8. 17.5 percent VAT/NHIL on selected imported medicines, that are not produced locally;

9. All Levies imposed on kayayei by local authorities has also been abolished

10. 17.5 percent VAT/NHIL on domestic airline tickets has also been abolished and eradicated.

The former president on his part as the leader and motivator of the Con men also added his voice to support his babies with sharp teeth indicating that the increase in taxes may breed enormous hardships in this country.

My simple question to the former NDC president is that,

- after he had initiated all those taxes named above, which were not necessary, did those implementations breed hardships? Did it collapse Ghana? Did the Mahama taxes bring relief to Ghanaians?

Also on 6th April 2018, Former president Mahama visited the branch of his party in the New York and said a few things. Dailyguideafrica.com reported the story with caption

"Mahama kicks against power tariff cuts"
Below are relevant portions of the said story.
*"* Former President John Dramani Mahama does not appear enthused about the fact that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has succeeded in reducing electricity tariffs for all categories of consumers.

*Mr Mahama described the move by President Akufo-Addo’s NPP government – which aims at lessening the financial burden of Ghanaians – as ‘populist’*

He even predicted that the erratic power supply known in local parlance as ‘dumsor’ that characterised his four-year administration, would return because of the way the NPP government is mismanaging the power sector and reducing taxes.

During his recent meeting with opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters of the United Kingdom, he started that,

“The way they are going, they are likely to run us into dumsor because of this populist reduction in tariffs,” he predicted in London some few weeks ago when he accompanied some NDC national executives there as part of the party’s efforts to unite the rank and file. *"*

Mahama stated empathically clear that, the reduction of tariffs by Akuffo Addo was a populace approach.

However, it must be noted that upon all the taxes we the citizens of Ghana were paying under Mahama, the cost of electricity under Mahama was still unprecedented.

Under the regime of Mahama and the NDC, a prepaid unit bought at GhS 50.00 would only last for less than 2 weeks but now under Nana Addo, same amount purchased used under same conditions will last for more than a month even though those unnecessary taxes initiated by those Con men has been abolished.

From the above elaborations and break down, why is it that, the very people who initiated these dubious taxes a few months back are the same people crying for help.

The Hypocritic babies with sharp teeth will never seize to amaze us.

Signed!
Kwame Baffoe Abronye
First Vice Chairman NPP (Brong Ahafo Region) and Founder Grassroot Movement For NPP

Source: Daniel Kak