Withdraw 2018 Budget – Minority to Government

The Minority in Parliament has called on government to withdraw the 2018 budget statement presented to Parliament by the Finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta last week.

According to the Minority spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, government revised the 2017 budget without Parliamentary approval hence the need for the withdrawal of the 2018 document which contains portions of the previous one.

Ato Forson made the comments during the maiden debate on the 2018 budget in the House Tuesday.

The minority ahead of the budget debate has described the content of the economic statement as empty. They contend the Nation Builders Corps program, which intends to employ some 100,000 graduates next year, is an extension of the National Service Scheme.

“Mr. Speaker the said graduates will not take home more than GHC400, this is dangerous. Mr. Speaker that GHC600,000 they intend to fund the programme with is not coming from the government of Ghana. It is going to be taken from the district assembly common fund. You’re going to constrain the district assemblies just for the purpose of funding it. This, in my opinion, is an extension of the national service scheme,” he said.

Meanwhile, a former finance minister Seth Terkper has described the attempts by government to create jobs for the youth as laudable.

In commending the New Patriotic Party government, Mr. Terkper suggested to Morning Starr host Francis Abban, the private sector must not be left out.

“It’s laudable to create jobs but provide incentives for the private sector to create jobs,” the immediate past Finance Minister advised.