2022 Budget highlighted no accountability for past levies and initiatives – Economist
Economist and Political Risk Analyst, Dr Theo Acheampong has lamented the government’s lack of accountability for past initiatives and levies introduced.
Speaking on Newsfile on the Joy News channel, Saturday, he noted that the 2022 Budget statement and economic policy presented on Wednesday by the Finance Minister did not account to Ghanaians the effective expenditure of the levies introduced in the 2021 budget.
According to Dr Acheampong, government instead is proposing a new raft of taxes without any accountability to Ghanaians.
“In the 2021 Budget, when the Finance Minister came to the house a year ago, he gave a number of taxes that they were going to collect. Sanitation levy, Covid-19 levy, etc. As we speak currently in this 2022 budget, there is no mention, and I don’t see it of how much has been collected in and from those levies and what those monies have been used for but at the same time, there is a raft of new taxes that are being proposed in the 2022 budget.
“So I see a bit of disconnection where it looks as though we want to implement revenue-raising measures, but I don’t see any accountability in terms of some of the past initiatives that have been announced and to what extent or how effective they have been,” he noted.
He added, “All governments, unfortunately, have found taxation as the easy way out rather than addressing the expenditure side of the equation and value for money.”
Meanwhile, the Deputy Finance Minister, Dr John Kumah, has described the ‘Agyenkwa’ budget as inspiring.
According to the Ejisu MP, “the Agenkwa budget is one of the inspiring budgets that for me Ghana needs at this particular time. “
Speaking on the same show, he said, “This is the first time I have seen the extent of the commitment being made for young people in terms of quantum to be able to create jobs for themselves.”
He explained that the focus espoused in the budget would help change the “government do for us“ mentality.
Source: Ghana News
