Ranking Member of the Financing Committee, Cassiel Ato Forson stated budget approval is not a one-off event but a process, the first of which is for Parliament to debate the principles and consider its approval.
According to him, the Minority has zeroed in on certain things that it believes are wrong and will not support their approval.
These, he said, include the 23 tax measures the government is requesting Parliament to approve including the 2.5% VAT.
He said, “This is not the time to increase VAT; at a time that inflation has imposed inflation tax on certain goods and services to the extent that prices of goods and services have sometimes doubled and in some cases tripled.”
“So we are asking the government to hold onto that policy until the future when there is stability. We’ll vote against it at the Committee and at plenary.”
Mr. Ato Forson was explaining the stance of the Minority following a backlash from Ghanaians after Parliament approved the 2023 budget by a voice vote on Tuesday, December 6. Sections of the public took the Minority to task for approving the budget that they have vowed to oppose.
The Ranking indicated the Minority group will also reject the removal of the GH¢100 threshold of the e-levy because the government at the time claimed it was a way to exempt the most vulnerable in society.
He argued today the value of that GH¢100 has been eroded since then because of depreciation and therefore removing the threshold will only worsen the plight of Ghanaians hence the Minority will vote against it.
The side, he said, will also reject the creation of the Contingency Vote with GH¢1.4 billion because it is inappropriate and assured they will deal with it at the Committee.
He said, “We have also said at this time that the country is in crisis, even though we are Christians, I do not believe this is the time to use state funds to build a Cathedral.”
“In fact, the President of the Catholic Bishop conference has said that the National Cathedral is a misplaced priority. We cannot support the building of the cathedral at this point and so the expenditure in that must also be removed.”
He stated the Minority will also reject the debt-restructuring programme as presented by the Minister of Finance and indicated though the government is attempting to bypass Parliament, the side will insist it is sent to the House.
Hon. Ato Forson assured the Minority has identified a number of things that it will oppose in the budget and indicated this resistance will be manifested at the Committee level and at plenary when the reports are debated.