You were warned against Free SHS; don't increase taxes to fund it - Franklin Cudjoe

IMANI Africa President, Franklin Cudjoe said it would be a big mistake if government decides to increase taxes to fund the Free SHS education policy as the increment would be a burden on citizens.

According to him, government was initially advised on the implementation of the Free SHS policy “because there were people who could pay for their own wards”.

His comments come amid speculations over the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) ahead of the mid-year budget reading this week.

He said, “The best thing government could have done was to do a means testing to identify those who can’t pay. This will free resources in other to invest in other areas of education in the country.”

He added that “You [government] do not need the GHC1.2billion bill for Free SHS when you have not plan for it”.

Franklin Cudjoe insisted that IMANI is against any increases in taxes, especially going through some of the freebies that were promised without any proper means testing.

This, he said is because the introduction of new taxes will be disastrous and subject Ghanaians to more suffering than what they are already feeling.

He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to kick against any tax increment in the country which aims at financing Free SHS.