I’ve never seen anything like 2017 budget – Osafo Marfo

Senior minister Yaw Osafo Marfo has heaped praises on the Finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta for the tactfulness of the 2017 budget.

According to him, the 2017 financial statement is addressing three different problems, which is unusual of a budget.

Among other things, the finance minister announced some major tax cuts in the government’s budget. Taxes on airline tickets, vehicle spare parts, market tolls and many others were eliminated in the statement read in Parliament last Thursday.

Speaking to Starr Business, Mr. Osafo Marfo, who is former finance minister, said he is surprised by the ingenuity behind the budget.

“A budget that can bring a deficit of 10.2 to 6.5, a growth of 3.6 to 6.3; that’s growing and reducing deficit all simultaneously and eliminating taxes. I have never seen a combination like that. This is a budget of its own class, in a budget you solve one problem, this one is solving three,” he said.

Meanwhile, the minority in parliament has described the budget as deceptive.

“I’m sure the Ghanaian people are expecting some further announcement outside the budget and outside of the SONA [State of the Nation Address] as to the intentions of government to lower the electricity tariffs for them. This can only mean a betrayal of the significant trust that the Ghanaian people invested in them,” Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu said.