According to him, he would not be surprised if government introduces new tax measures in the yet-to-be-presented mid-year budget review statement by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta on July 25, 2023.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson opined that instead of the introduction of taxes that will top up the burdens of Ghanaians amidst the economic crisis, there were several options government can cut its expenditure to save the country some money.
In an interview with Accra-based JoyNews, the Minority Leader in Parliament said, “I won’t be surprised if the government introduces new measures because if you read the MEFP, the IMF is asking for additional measures of about 1% of GDP and I don’t know where that is going to come from.”
“If I look carefully, there is a massive room for expenditure cuts, but the government obviously is indiscipline, and they don’t seem to care...They want to live large on the back of the people of Ghana. So they need to cut that kind of expenditure and if I am the one in charge or responsible, I would rather go for a cut in expenditure as against a tax measure or an increase in taxation,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is expected to present the 2023 mid-year budget review in parliament on Tuesday, July 25, 2023.
The presentation is in accordance with Section (28) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (PFMA) Act 921.
The Act requires that the finance minister presents a mid-year review to parliament six months after the presentation of the main budget for that fiscal year.
Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson