Passage of new taxes: NDC MPs are hypocrites – Deputy Majority Whip

The First Deputy Majority Whip, Habib Iddrisu, has accused Members of Parliament of the Minority Caucus of being hypocrites over their objection of the three revenue measures (taxes) the House passed.

According to him, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs agreed to pass the three taxes only for them to come to parliament to engage in theatrics.

Habib Iddrisu, the MP for Tolon, added that the NDC MPs even approved the new taxes unanimously at the committee level, citinewsroom.com reports.

“What our colleagues on the Minority side exhibited on Friday is hypocrisy to the highest order. Because, if you look at the report that came from the Finance Committee, it was agreed. At the committee level, it was agreed upon in consensus.

“We all agreed that the revenue bills must be passed only for them to take a different decision when we resumed to Parliament,” the MP is quoted to have said on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, April 3, 2023.

Background:

Parliament passed three new tax measures on Friday, March 31, 2023, during an extended sitting of the House.

The said taxes also faced stiff opposition from the Minority Caucus in the House, but the Majority managed to marshal all their numbers on the day to get the taxes passed.

The three new taxes are: Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill 2022, and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022.

The bills were presented to Parliament as part of the government's plans to mobilize about GH¢4 billion in domestic revenue annually.

They are, according to the government, also crucial to helping secure board approval for the US$3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program after a staff-level agreement was reached late last year.

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