Simon Osei-Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister has bemoaned the delay in the approval of the controversial e-levy.
He said the delay is costing the country a lot of money.
Mr. Osei-Mensah said members of Parliament from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are being overly partisan in their resistance to the levy.
He argued that they must consider the national interest and help government develop the country.
“I am surprised that in parliament, the Appropriation Bill has been passed. A component of the Appropriation Bill, a source of revenue is now an issue. My question to the 8th parliament is, why then did you pass the bill?”
“Because the approval of the Appropriation Bill means that the government can go ahead and spend, you are also saying that the source of revenue in that bill can’t be passed. I think we need to start thinking more about this country and the development of this country rather than being too partisan,” the Minister said while inaugurating the Ashanti Regional Youth Parliament in Kumasi.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, Pius Enam Hadzide, in an address at the same event said the passage of the E-levy in parliament will ensure that the government delivers on its mandate.
“Nowadays you here many politicians shout, we won’t pay taxes. We don’t want E-levy. But the question is, where does Ghana get money for building the roads and the bridges we want? Where will we get the money to finance free SHS, building hospitals and pay salaries?,” he quizzed
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has also admitted that the failure to pass the levy is affecting government.
The Suame MP and leader of Government Business in Parliament said “You will see the Finance Minister going to organize townhall meetings in various regional capitals.
“Maybe, we underestimated the resistance. In any human institution people really will not come out openly to embrace the imposition of taxes, so we thought that yes, there will be some resistance it being a new levy or tax that we are going to introduce, but maybe we underestimated the strength of the resistance.”
Source: Pulse Ghana
