Where is gov’t going to get GHc18bn to revamp the economy? - Pratt reacts to TUC's request

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr is wondering how government is going to inject Gh?18billion into the economy as being suggested by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

The TUC is urging the government to pump GH?18 billion, into the economy to reduce the impact of COVID-19.

In a statement, the union said the country’s GDP growth was expected to decline from 6.5 to 1.5 percent in 2020 and would translate into output loss of more than GH?18 billion, equivalent of $3.1 billion and that "the national economic response must be proportionate to the scale of the human, economic and social costs arising out of the pandemic. We expect the stimulus package to match the magnitude of the projected decline in Gross Domestic Product (GDP)”.

However, Kwesi Pratt is wondering where government is going to find such an amount.

In a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', he queried, "How much do we have as a country? How much is our total tax revenue; how much of that is used to construct hospitals and how much is used for free SHS . . . we wish we have so much to inject into our economy but where are we going to get the money?"

Meanwhile, Ghana has already acquired a US$1 billion loan facility from the IMF under the Rapid Credit Facility to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Listen to Kwesi Pratt in the video below