The Convention People’s Party (CPP), following the presentation of the 2021 budget to Parliament on March 12, has described as mortifying, Government’s proposal to tax the public under Value Added Tax (VAT) and Sanitation and Pollution Levy (SPL).
In the budget statement, the Government indicated that the Value Added Tax (VAT) will be increased by one percentage point (1%) to defray the cost involved in providing requisite resources and funding activities towards mitigating the country’s Covid-19 related challenges.
The CPP in its reaction to the proposal described the Government as living double standards, hence mortifying, because while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was in opposition to the Jerry John Rawlings led administration in 1995, they protested against the introduction of the tax.
The party, CPP, is therefore of the view that the NPP Government would uphold that position in their governance.
A statement signed by the party’s General Secretary Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah read: “The CPP is speechless and mortified that this government can slap taxes on Ghanaians without any remorse.”
“How on earth can a Valued Added Tax be implemented and Increased by 1% by the same group of people who kicked against it in a “Kume Preko” march that took away the lives of Ghanaians and maimed others? Was the sacrifices worth it?”
The Government, in a bid to alleviate the challenges Ghanaians were beset with as result of the Covid-19 pandemic, absorbed the utility bills for some section of the public. But the CPP believes that the VAT being introduced is meant to pay for the freebies.
The statement said: “The CPP believes that this populist government has behaved like” Father Christmas” by giving free electricity, free water, free food etc. and now collecting the payment through taxation. They give with their right hand and use their left hand to nicodemously pick from our pockets.”
On the Sanitation and Pollution levy (SPL), the CPP suggested that producers of the filth should be the targeted payers of the tax but not the general public due to the current financial crisis that has befallen the nation.
“Our Country Ghana is engulfed in filth, and the CPP is surprised that the already overburdened Ghanaian should pay a sanitation levy before filth is cleared from our midst. In other jurisdictions, the “Polluter Pays Principle’ is what is applied to manage the sanitation situation this Country finds itself in,” it said.
However, while commending the government for its plans to complete projects which have been abandoned, the party urged it to implement the plans in a manner that benefits all.
The statement said: “It is a laudable idea that the government’s budget under the theme ‘Completion, Consolidation and Continuation’ seeks to complete all existing abandoned projects (8700 projects have been identified) but the CPP wants to put on record that this has been our position all along and it was captured in our 2020 manifesto.
“So if the government wants to borrow this intervention from us then they should do well to implement it in a manner that a CPP government would, that is ensuring that the end product would be to the benefit of all Ghanaians.”
