You’ll be credited in the Guinness book of records for excessive borrowing – Idrissu to Ofori-Atta

Finace Minster presents 2022 budget statement

Government introduces new tax policies

Minority bemoans hardship in the country

Minority Leader of Parliament Haruna Iddrisu has stated that Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta will be credited as the one to have borrowed more from the market than any other finance minister the country has ever had.

Making his immediate response to the 2022 budget statement presented by the Minister on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, in parliament, Mr Iddrisu noted that the current government has set out to increase the level of hardship on Ghanaians with the introduction of new tax policies in the budget.

“It is only the Honourable Ken Ofori Atta who I wonder how ironically eases burdens to quote his own words that there is no illusion about the sufferings of Ghanaians. Yet, he is imposing further suffering, imposing a 1.5% MOMO and electronic banking tax.

“So, it is only Ofori Atta who eases suffering with the imposition of taxes targeted at GHC15 billion within this year. But Mr Speaker, with this promise of increased suffering and hardships beyond Communication Service Tax (CST) and VAT, he is bringing in E-Transaction Levies. He will reverse the gains of financial inclusion.

The minority leader went on to say that by the revenue projections made by the minister in the budget as against what was projected for the current year, the minister will become the biggest borrower in the history of Ghana since 1992.

“Mr Speaker, we are not in haste to debate him, and when you project revenue from GHC50 billion to GHC80 billion within one year, the market has listened to you; Ghanaians have listened to you. You will be credited in the Guinness Book of Records for borrowing more than any other minister under the Fourth Republic,” he said.