New revenue bills approval: Your walkout won’t affect us - Majority tells minority

The deputy majority whip in parliament, Habib Iddrisu has said they are ready to pass the revenue bill expected to be considered on Friday in parliament.

According to him, even if the minority stages a walkout as speculated, the majority can pass the bill as half of the members of parliament are needed for the bill to be passed.

He explained that the majority has the numbers as the house is currently 274 members due to the Supreme Court ruling on James Gyakye Quayson, which prevents him from holding himself as MP.

He said with this, the house needs 136 members to approve the bill and so the walkout from the minority won’t affect the majority as they have the number despite the death of the Kumawu MP.

Speaking on an interview with GhanaWeb’s Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese, he said “…we are well organised in the majority side and here in our numbers to pass the revenue bill.

“Technically if the minority stage a walkout, it does not affect anything in parliament because if you look at the constitution and what outstanding orders says you need half of the number of members of parliament. Mind you the Supreme court has said that the Member of parliament for Assin North cannot be called an Mp so we have 274 in Ghana’s parliament and half of it is 136. So their walk out cannot affect us,” he added.

Government is under pressure to have three new revenue bills passed by Parliament as it seeks to rake in GH¢4 billion per year to shore up revenue to fix the ailing economy and secure a Board approval for a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The bills which include the Excise Tax Stamp and Excise Duty amendment bills, Income Tax amendment bill and Growth and Sustainability levy bill are already being rejected by some business groups.

YNA/DA