Artisans make more money than some educated people - Kennedy Agyapong on widening tax net

New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Kennedy Agyapong, has promised to rope in people in the informal sector into the payment of taxes.

The move, he said, forms part of measures put in place to widen the country's tax net.

Speaking Citi TV’s Face to Face programme, Kennedy Agyapong explained that persons within the informal sector such as artisans make more money in a month compared to people working in offices.

Citing an example to buttress his claim, the businessman stated that a mason at his construction site at Tema takes GH¢150 a day.

He said this translates to the collection of GH¢4000 a month, whereas, a graduate working at Oman FM and Kencity Media receives between GH¢2,700 a month.

He noted that staff of Oman FM and Kencity Media are taxed whiles masons and others involved in artisanal jobs were left.

To fill this gap, Kennedy Agyapong said very artisan and every worker in Ghana will have to register to have a license and a pin number so that they can be taxed.

He said, “My policy on taxes is that taxes will be reduced and expanded and what I mean by reduce is that taxes in this country are so high but only a few people are paying taxes."

“I am a pragmatic person and I have the experience. I am a business person and I am fortunate to have employed educated people, uneducated people, and artisans and I can tell you that artisans make more money than some educated people and this is clear in my construction site in Tema where a mason makes about GH¢150 a day which translates to close to GH¢4000 a month and graduate at Oman and Kencity makes between GH¢2,700 and is taxed in addition but the mason is not taxed,” he added.

The businessman further said, “When I am given the opportunity to become president, every artisan, everybody working in this country will have to register to have a license and a pin number so that we can tax them and when the tax base is expanded, we then reduce taxes.”

He noted that dishonesty and indiscipline were the two major things killing businesses in Ghana.

SA/NOQ

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