Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, has urged Members of Parliament (MPs) on both sides of the House to as a matter of urgency come together to pass the 2023 budget.
According to Abena Osei-Asare, who is also the MP for Atiwa East, the country is now in a very bad place due to external and internal factors and it needs the budget to start its recovery process.
The MP added that if the 2023 budget is not passed on time, it will worsen the economic hardships Ghanaians are facing, asaaseradio.com reports.
“We are faced with local and global challenges, we also have an ongoing IMF negotiation, and also, we have debt operations which we are trying to come up with to bring our debt levels to a sustainable level.
“Mr Speaker, little did we know that a global pandemic and a war in Ukraine will bring us down to our knees…The quicker we do something about it, the better. It is in this respect that we are asking our colleagues on the other side to support the government in the revenue measures that we have stated in next year’s budget. Any delay in passing this revenue measure means we are pushing Ghana down the drain,” Abena Osei Asare is quoted to have said on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, November 29.
Meanwhile, the Ranking member of the Finance Committee, Cassiel Ato Forson, has said marriages are collapsing in recent times due to the high cost of living.
According to him, the government has failed to address the concerns in the 2023 budget, and this will only worsen the cost of living due to the poor economy in which the country finds itself.
While debating the 2023 budget in parliament, “this budget fails to address the concerns that we have. Mr Speaker, unemployment is now becoming national security crisis. Mr Speaker, there is a massive cost of living crisis we find ourselves. Mr. Speaker, it will surprise you to know that marriages are collapsing because of this government because the cost of living is becoming so high, Mr speaker that is where we find ourselves."
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Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei Asare