Govt does not do ‘sika gari’ – Carlos Ahenkorah defends decision to continue taking COVID levy

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema West, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, gave a passionate defence of the decision by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government to continue taking COVID-19 levy on the floor of parliament on Friday, November 24, 2023.

According to him, the COVID-19 levy is justified because the government gave Ghanaians a lot of free goods and services during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that must be paid for.

He added that he is baffled by the objection to the collection of the levy by the minority caucus of the house because it is the only the government can raise funds to run the economy because the government does not engage in money doubling (sika gari).

“Mr Speaker, I want to ask them, when we went on lockdown and they were still receiving their salaries, when we went on lockdown and they enjoyed free electricity, free water, where did they expect the government to get money to pay for this.

“It was that money that we used to pay and today, we are asking you to pay back, you are complaining… who do you want to pay for it? Mr Speaker because they eat free, they taught the government was Prof Diego; so he would just conjure and ‘sika gari’ would come," Ahenkorah, a former deputy trade and industry minister, said.

He added, “Government does not do ‘sika gari’. Government would have to take the money from you and I to run this economy and that is exactly what we are doing. You’re complaining that how come there is no more COVID but we are being taxed on COVID whatever”.

Watch Carlos Ahenkorah’s remarks in the video below:

Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, MP for Tema West, states that the government doesn't engage in 'sika gari' as he defends the imposition of the Covid levy on citizens to compensate for the free utilities they enjoyed during the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/MLdAljoRko

— SIKAOFFICIAL???? (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) November 24, 2023