Vice-President of the Transport Forum Ghana, Eric Amoah Amponsah
The Vice-President of the Transport Forum Ghana Eric Amoah Amponsah has bemoaned the posture of the current crop of young parliamentarians.
This follows the passage of the Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill, 2022, the Ghana Revenue Authority Bill 2022 and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022 by Parliament.
Parliament approved the passage of the bills on Friday, 31 March 2023.
According to him, under the current administration, Ghanaians had so much hope in the young parliamentarians and were hoping that they would be legislators who would keep the executive in check.
However, the contrary has been the case with every bill put before the house passed into law.
Speaking on CTV’s Dwa Br3 Mu, Monday, 3 April 2023, the Vice-President of the Transport Forum Ghana told show host Nana Otu Darko that: “We had a lot of hope, we as youth, we had a lot anticipation that they would push our cause.
“But take it from me, majority of them have gone and [are] pushing agendas based on party lines, not the community that voted for them. The ideas they push, the thoughts they have, it has become based on party lines.”
He indicated that there were no consultations done by these young parliamentarians with the constituents concerning the bills to find out how it would affect their lives but rather, they put their party lines first and gave their approval.
“These new taxes that have been passed, how many parliamentarians went back to their constituencies to check [with them that] ‘This is what government is proposing. What do you think?’ to consult traders.
“What they rather thought was satisfying a certain party line. What they rather thought was not putting Ghana first but putting their party first,” he charged.
Mr Amponsah noted that as a freight forwarder, people in his trade are already overburdened with taxes on their declaration sheet, therefore the new taxes were needless.
He noted that “there are 18 taxes on your declaration.”
Mr Amponsah revealed that he knew there would be no U-turn made on the new taxes upon their suggestion and before passage.
“I knew it would go through. I knew,” he said. “When parliament refuses to work as parliament but rather works as a subsidiary of a party headquarters, you don’t expect anything [different]. Trust me.”
“Who, which businessman would be approving new taxes under this condition in this current state?” he asked. “It is scratch my back, let me scratch yours; you do for me, I do for you.”
Touching on the Minority’s role regarding the new taxes, he stressed that they did government a favour in anticipation of similar in due time.
“If there’s any word I can give them, it would be a shambolic appearance. Our current parliamentary structure is scratch my back let me scratch yours; you do for me I also do for you,” he said.
He stressed that as the House of Legislature, its duty is to keep the executive in check.
“Are we not supposed to protect the public purse? What is parliament doing to hold the executive in check? Everything that comes through to parliament is passed. For me, I don’t think parliament works,” he said.
