The Member of Parliament Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, for North Tongu Constituency, has rejected the tax waivers policy proposed by the majority caucus in parliament. In a passionate address, he emphasized that the people of Ghana had voted for change and a reset of governance.
Ablakwa described this fiscal burden as unfair and detrimental to the nation’s economic health, particularly at a time when ordinary Ghanaians continue to endure financial hardship. He questioned; ”Why do you want to [incur] the incoming government with this huge fiscal burden on crony companies?”
Ablakwa criticized the lack of transparency in the selection process for companies receiving these tax waivers.
He questioned the criteria and argued that, instead of prioritizing tax reprieves for a select few, the government should focus on alleviating the financial burden on ordinary Ghanaians.
“We are the only country in the world still paying a COVID levy long after the WHO declared COVID no longer a pandemic. Why is this government keeping e-levy, keeping betting tax, keeping emission tax, keeping COVID levy?”
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency
He reiterated his party’s commitment, led by President-elect John Mahama, to remove these “nuisance taxes” to provide relief for the masses.
According to Ablakwa, prioritizing tax waivers for crony companies undermines this agenda and worsens economic inequality.
The Majority caucus proposed a compromise, suggesting they would consider the demands of Ablakwa and his colleagues only if they forego any planned expenditure.
Ablakwa condemned this proposal, describing it as irresponsible and an attack on Ghanaian workers.
“That cannot be fair. That is the height of irresponsibility. What they are saying in effect means that they don’t want Ghanaian workers to be paid in January, February, and March. Why do you want to use Ghanaian workers as human shields because you want to create a tax waiver regime for crony companies?
“This is why you suffered the most humiliating political defeat in the history of our country, and they still won’t learn. Why do you want government workers to suffer just because of a few crony companies?”
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency
Ablakwa questioned the government’s justification for the tax waivers, which they claimed were necessary to expand businesses and create employment.
He dismissed this reasoning, citing the failure of the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative to address unemployment. He queried;
“How can you be implementing 1D1F and yet unemployment worsens? Unemployment has shot up from 8% in 2016 to 14.7% as we speak.
“I am a Member of Parliament for a constituency whose industries have all collapsed under this government. Juapong Textiles has collapsed. Workers are at home. The factory is shut. It’s all a sham. It’s a big joke. It’s a scam.”
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency
A Call for Accountability and Prudence
In furtherance, he cited past examples of failed projects, including tax incentives given for unbuilt hotels and the infamous Sky Train project.
“Do you know that they give tax waivers to cronies, in-laws of the president who said they were coming to do hotels? Nothing has happened today. Where is the money given to those people who said they were coming to build a Sky Train? We have lost so much money because of these corrupt state capture schemes.”
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency
He maintained that the $350 million in tax waivers could be better used to fulfill important manifesto pledges such as establishing a Women’s Development Bank, implementing no admission fees for first-year university students, and reequipping hospitals. He added;
“That $350,000,000 can help us address our manifesto pledges, including compensating the victims of the spillage by the VRA from the Akosombo Dam.”
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency
In addition to rejecting the tax waivers, Ablakwa criticized the sudden inclusion of a €140 million procurement deal for ships for the Ghana Navy.
“We object to this because this was smuggled in. The speaker announced that he didn’t even know about it. There’s no value-for-money report and no due diligence. A new government is coming, so why the rush?”
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s address underscored a firm stance against what he described as irresponsible fiscal policies and corrupt governance.
“If we allow them, we will be complicit. The way the Ghanaian voter is angry, we don’t want to suffer a similar fate in the next election. These tax waivers will not receive our support.”
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency
He called for prioritizing the needs of ordinary Ghanaians over crony interests and reiterated his party’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and economic fairness.
READ ALSO; Potential Limitations of Solely Focusing on Highlife Music Outlined
