Fleecing The Poor Through Regressive Taxation, Government Bungalows In Focus

We have consistently and continue to drum home the need for government as a matter of urgency to implement the SEND Ghana campaign on Promoting Progressive Tax for Inclusive Development (PPTID). Although this policy will not solve all of Ghana’s problems, at least it will go a long way to reduce needless death as a result of unjust tax policies ostensibly targeted at the poor in society.

Today I shall focus on government bungalows with regards rent, occupancy and maintenance, et al.

It will interest you to know that, government bungalows are allocated to persons occupying high positions in government, civil service, department and agencies. Among such are the Article 71 categories of workers. These article 71 holders according to Gyagri F. Baalaah favours only 0.00178% of Ghana’s population and yet they amass virtually all the wealth of the nation.

For your information, these categories of Ghanaian workers who earn an average of sixteen thousand cedis (₵16,000.00) salaries accompanied with all manner of allowances, even entertainment allowances don’t pay rent. Additionally, the government also pay their drivers, cooks, security, rent, electricity, virtually everything.

According to the Communications Director of Ghana Gas, government officials and agencies are owing Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in excess of twenty-four million cedis (₵24,000,000.00) for this reason, ECG is unable to also honour their debt obligation through Volta River Authority (VRA) to Ghana Gas (GG).

Now, this cost burden occasioned by these few high-positioned workers of our society will be passed on to the ordinary citizen who earns next to nothing to cough out these millions of cedis through the introduction of another regressive tax. In the event that they are unable to raise the needed amount, the same government will turn around to blame these companies for lack of performance and offer the reason to sell it to a private entity.

This sheer propensity to fleece the poor in order to maintain offensive aggrandized lifestyle at the expense of the ordinary Ghanaian is quite sinful and must be stopped if we possess any semblance of godliness. Least to say is what is happening with government bungalows put up by state (tax) funds

The Works and Housing Minister, Samuel Atta-Akyea had earlier stated that cronies of some public officials are occupying state bungalows without paying rent”. My question to Mr. Minister is “if people are occupying bungalows without paying rent, what are you doing about it”. I do not think the Minister will complain if he put up that bungalow from his personal funds.

“There are about five or six categories of people who have decided to do their own thing with government properties. One is people who have been on retirement for so many years – sometimes about five to six years – and are still living in government properties and are not paying anything to government”. - Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Freda Prempeh

“The other category is also on retirement but they have given the apartment out to their nieces, their nephews, their friends and colleagues”.

“Some too have even left the apartment and abandoned it and nobody is even living there and there are some people living in government bungalows that we don’t even have their data in the office. Those that we have their names on our data base, their data are not on that of the Controller and Accountant General so they don’t pay anything to the government. We have more than 1000 properties in Accra and if each person is paying even GHS100 per month we could have used the money to build more affordable houses” - Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Freda Prempeh

The above statement and that of the substantive Minister confirmed that, officers in government bungalows don’t pay rent and bills. They run down these state bungalows because they did not sweat for it. On many occasions you will find air-conditioned running with nobody in the bungalow. At the end of the day, the electricity consumed by these high earning officials will rather be passed on to the “koko and akara” seller to cough out the bills through regressive tax. It is wicked, unfair and sin being perpetuated on fellow Ghanaians by all those occupying government bungalows.

On this note, if Mr. government indeed wish the welfare of the ordinary Ghanaian and want to reduce the plight of the masses occupying the base of the ladder, then its time to implement Progressive Taxes which ensures that those that earn high also contribute more by way of taxes for the development of the nation.

Bishop Nathaniel Rudolph
Director, Public Sector Engagement
College of Bishops & Deans
Accra
[email protected]

Government Bungalow