You can’t tax churches if mosques, political parties, shrines, don’t pay tax - Rev Dr Opuni

The debate about churches paying taxes is discriminatory, former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong has said.

In an interview on Ghanaweb’s 21 Minutes With KKB, monitored by MyNewsGh.com, the clergyman said mosques, shrines, charities, political parties must also be made to pay taxes if that argument people put up is anything to go by.

Considering the sensitive nature of the topic, MyNewsGH.com has only reproduced his words, exactly as he said them: "The churches I have worked with the catholic bishop conference, Christian council, all the Presby, Methodist, Anglican, Baptist, salvation army, they pay even at source so if that is what you’re talking about I am telling you go into their books they even pay at source, now the next level is that all organizations that are registered as corporate law, charity, have certain exemptions.”

"“All those people saying church people must pay tax, they are not helping anybody. They sound very discriminatory, they better shut up,” he added.

He emphasized that "Not only churches, Muslims are there, all political parties are there. And so if they talk like that the issue you just raised and they are saying that all those who are under charity, NGO must pay tax they should stop talking about church, then they must say what they mean and that one NDC and NPP people must pay tax first.”

“When they talk like that I pray and hope they will come clean with their definitions detailed. The churches do pay tax so they must tell us exactly what they are looking for,” Rev. Dr. Opuni enquired.