Mr. Seth Terkper, the Former Finance Minister, has reiterated his advice to the government not to engage in what appears to be another “fiscal offset” in the 2023 budget, similar to what occurred in the government’s 2017 budget.
In this context, Mr. Terkper has called on the Government to disclose its plan for dealing with a large GHC 77bn pipeline of arrears and contracts in the 2021 Budget Performance Report, noting that a similar plan was used to deal with the “single spine” wage arrears in 2020.
The former minister argued that, given that the budget overruns are at the core of most debt challenges, transparency and accountability in government finances are crucial for securing an IMF programme, adding that “they are also needed for sustainable economic growth and development.”
Mr. Terkper further argued that the treatment of the banking and energy sector bailout costs as memoranda items, rather than adding them to the country’s deficit and public debt stock, creates a false impression of fiscal consolidation.
According to the former minister, this practice by Government resulted in the rapid financial market rating downgrades of the country’s sovereign bonds and eventual debt default, with the deficit revised upwards to 7% and 7.2% for 2018 and 2019 respectively – when the IMF and ratings agencies adjusted Ghana’s fiscal deficit and public debt figures.
Financial Accountability and Transparency Is A Requisite To Save Ghana From Turmoil
Mr. Seth Terkper recalled that in 2017, the incoming Akufo-Addo administration accused the John Mahama administration of overlooking arrears of about GHC 7bn.
However, according to him, only about GHC 2bn was carried forward to the 2017 fiscal year, after an apparent offset of GHC 5bn against total expenditures.
At the time, Mr. Terkper opposed the move in various articles and interviews.
In a similar move, Mr. Terkper pointed out that the 2023 budget shows another apparent offset of GHC 22bn that also appears to reduce the deficit from about GHS 60bn to approximately GHS 38bn.
As with the 2.3% reduction in the budget or fiscal deficit in 2017, the repetition of the fiscal move resulted in a “paper” reduction by 3.7% of GDP.
The former minister has warned that this practice by Government creates a false impression of fiscal prudence, which is unsustainable in the long term.
He again said such moves lead to a lack of transparency and accountability in government finances, which can lead to financial instability and economic turmoil.
Mr. Terkper’s concerns reflect a broader need for transparency and accountability in government finances in Ghana.
“The government must address these concerns to build trust with its citizens, investors, and international partners. Failure to do so could lead to further economic instability and harm the country’s long-term economic prospects.”
Mr. Seth Terkper
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