Government to tax sex soon - MP

The Deputy Minority Leader and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bimbilla, Dominic Nitiwul has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of reneging on promises it made to Ghanaians during the 2008 campaign.

According to the Bimbilla MP, it is completely unacceptable for the NDC to promise in its 2008 manifesto not to impose any further taxes on Ghanaians but make a big ‘U’ turn to tax everything under the sun.

“Mr Speaker, this government is taxing everything that it sees from condoms, cutlasses, water and very soon will even tax sex,” he said in his contribution to the debate on the budget on Tuesday.

He said the government even planned to tax fertilizers for farmers, but Parliament opposed it.

The legislator noted that Ghanaians are now overburdened by so many taxes which are collapsing the real estate industry, as well as the manufacturing industry.

“We must tell government in the face that the taxes are becoming too much piling up more suffering on the people even though it promised in its manifesto not to impose any more tax when it comes to power.”

He indicated that policies in the 2015 budget will crowd out the local business, adding that now that interest rate is hovering around 30 percent, local business will find it difficult to borrow.

He said Ghanaians had faced frequent power outage, coupled with the sharp depreciation of the local currency in recent times, adding that the budget can never redeem the tattered economy.

There is no hope for Ghanaians and they must now tighten their belts because the IMF will be dictating to government to implement more ‘stringent’ policies, which will bring further hardship to Ghanaians,” he indicated.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, who is also the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, said the minority will not see anything good about the 2015 budget which he described as very progressive.

He indicated the NPP MPs mischievously displayed placards that read “Reduce Fuel Prices Drastically Now” when the Minister for Finance was reading the budget in Parliament, saying that when the price of crude oil also goes up the Minority MPs should be bold to tell government to also increase fuel prices.

He said the money that accrued as a result of the falling prices of crude oil is being used to offset the $400 million debt owed the Bulk Distribution Companies.

He said the government hopes to improve public financial management through the implementation of the GIFMIS and that the government was committed to its “Better Ghana Agenda.”