Actress Lydia Forson, who is known for speaking her mind and take on political matters mostly on social media, claimed in a recent tweet that although Ghanaians do not demand as much from the government, they are yet dishonored in all areas.
According to her, there are other important things such as basic human needs the current government could provide but rather they chose to construct a cathedral and expensive restaurants, which the average Ghanaian can’t afford.
Per a new report, ‘NsuomNam’, one of the most expensive restaurants in Cantonments, was recently opened by President Akufo-Addo’s daughter. The actress and filmmaker wrote:
“When you think about it, Ghanaians are not asking for much oh. Good roads, stable electricity, water, hospitals, and just the basics for human survival.
“Instead, we’re getting a cathedral, expensive restaurants, real estate, and everything else the average Ghanaian can’t afford”.
Lydia Forson
The actress is and continues to be one of the biggest critics of bad governance in the country. The actress has maintained such a position for several years and continues to fight for the people of Ghana regardless of which government is in power.
She recently accused African leaders of being beneficiaries of underdevelopment.
According to her, people will someday come to realize why leaders plan to keep their subordinates poor.
Her comments suggested that African leaders have benefitted from the suffering of their subjects since time immemorial.
Ghana’s hardship is leading many into depression
The Ghanaian actress expressed concern over the government’s decision to raise taxes at a time when many are suffering from poverty due to high inflation.
According to Lydia, times are hard, and several Ghanaians are battling depression due to the bad economy coupled with the high cost of living. She tweeted saying:
“When you think about how hard things are in this country, it can easily send you into depression. In fact, I’m almost certain a majority of us are battling depression; we just force ourselves through it each day. Worse is that we’re being led by people who don’t care”.
Lydia Forson
In a separate post that also highlighted the plight of Ghanaians, the actress who has been vocal about issues that affect citizens listed a number of things that continue to drain the pocket of many.
“A lot of people are unemployed, those who are not, barely make enough to survive each month. Between transportation, accommodation, and food, you barely have enough for anything else. But your leaders believe, let’s TAX them some more”.
Lydia Forson
Mr. Ken Ofori- Atta, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, as part of the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy he presented to Parliament on Thursday, November 24, 2022, proposed a 2.5 percent increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) to support roads and digitization agenda of the government.
“Review the E-levy Act and specifically reduce the headline rate from 1.5 percent to 1 percent of the transaction value as well as the removal of the daily threshold”.
Mr. Ken Ofori Atta
The 2018 Mid-Year budget amended the VAT rate from 15% to 12.5% and disassociated the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) and Ghana Education Trust Fund Levy (GETFund Levy) from VAT.
The Electronic Transfer Levy Act, 2022 (Act 1075), on the other hand, imposes a levy of 1.5% on electronic transfers.
