Convener of Fixing the Country Movement, Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah, has disclosed that the Akufo-Addo administration is fixing the country, contrary to popular opinions in the country.
According to him, despite claims of the 2022 budget’s tendency to foment untold hardship on Ghanaians, it only reveals that the current government is addressing the challenges facing Ghanaians.
Contained in a statement, Mr Bempah revealed that the budget primarily focused on expanding on Ghana’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as creating a climate-friendly entrepreneurial state to address unemployment and import substitution.
Fixing The Country Movement, per its statement, described the 2022 Budget statement as the most “empathetic, thought-provoking, and forward-looking budget” in recent years on the back of disruption and “pain” imposed on Ghanaians by COVID-19.
“The Akufo-Addo administration is fixing the country. The government requires the support of all Ghanaians to undo the damage Mahama caused the state. The Ghanaian economy was on a roller-coaster ride throughout the four years under Mahama as twin fiscal and current account deficits undermined confidence in the economy”.
Mr Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah
Highlighting some key aspects of the budget, Mr Bempah indicated that digitalization of the economy, skills development and entrepreneurship “featured prominently” in the presentation. However, the opposition NDC is in their full elements engaging in “distortions, cat-calls and propaganda” in an attempt to water down the “lofty objectives” of the government’s 2022 economic policy.
In lieu of this, the Convener of the movement, noted that he deems it prudent and proper to set a “few records straight”. Describing the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) as “Broad, Equitable, and ultimately Fairer”, Mr Bempah indicated that it is the kind of tax the movement has been advocating for.
“It must also be viewed against the new tax reliefs for businesses, and increased investment in supporting entrepreneurship through the YouStart initiative. These are all lofty objectives of the budget, and at the same time the administration needs revenue to revive the economy, fighting corruption and combating insecurity”.
Mr Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah
Recounting Ghana’s fiscal crisis, Mr Bempah stated that it began in 2010 with huge pay rises offered to government employees, without a clear plan to increase government revenues in step. He revealed that between 2010 and 2012, the national “wage bill increased 47%” which eventually rose to consume more than “70% of tax revenues”.
“The imposition of a special 17.5% levy on petroleum was potentially more contentious. Wholesale oil prices were reduced on the international markets, but imported inflation on top of an additional tax drove up fuel prices considerably for Ghanaian citizens”.
Mr Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah
The Mahama administration, Mr Bempah noted, mismanaged the economy to a point where it had to rely desperately on “raising taxes on cutlasses and condoms” to generate revenue.
That notwithstanding, he emphasized that the country for the past four years has been going through a big change and it “only seems to grow exponentially”. Denial of this, he explained, does not “negate” that it has been occurring and will continue to occur.
Following this, he posited that the country must not lose sight of the transformation agenda being rolled out by President Akufo-Addo who is supporting Ghanaian workers by throwing a “lifeline” to them.
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