Lawyers, big people don't pay taxes but shout loudest on social media - Ken Ofori-Atta

Some lawyers and big business owners in Ghana refuse to pay taxes but are the ones who shout the loudest on social media about the government’s failure to render certain public services well, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, has said.

According to him, such people have abundant resources to contribute to nation-building yet have refused to do so by not paying their taxes.

Speaking at a Danquah Institute Economic Forum on the theme: ‘Bridging the gap between the formal and informal economy, the role of domestic revenue mobilisation in an era of Ghana Beyond Aid’ held at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra on Friday, 10 May 2019, Mr Ofori-Atta said: “…There are lawyers, big business owners in the country, yet they refuse to declare their income.

“They have the resources and knowledge to make their fair contribution but simply refuse to pay their taxes. And yet, will shout the loudest on social media and any given forum about how government is failing in delivering public services.

“Such men and women are all around us. Unfortunately, they sit on the front pews of the churches.”

“Our founding fathers encouraged us to build a nation where every Ghanaian is free and empowered to have access to education, skills and job opportunities in an ever-expanding economy to contribute fully to nation-building and self-enactment in a free and progressive society.

“It is what the ruling New Patriotic Party stands for and has captured in its motto: ‘Development in Freedom’, but it is important for all of us to recognise that development in freedom only works when there is equity and opportunity.”