Dr. Bawumia also expressed a strong commitment to fighting corruption
The flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, held discussions with the leadership and members of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Accra on Wednesday.
Dr. Bawumia, who has been touring the nation and meeting key national stakeholders, took considerable time to present to the TUC the work the government has done, those he has championed, as well as his own policies and vision to propel the country forward, should he be elected President.
The extensive discussion focused on several sectors, including the economy itself, as well as areas such as agriculture, education, health, trade and business, mining, infrastructure, creative arts, sports, digitalization, and corruption, among others.
As he has done in all his previous encounters, Dr. Bawumia highlighted the extensive works and interventions of the Akufo-Addo government over the past seven years, his personal contributions in some key areas, before moving on to what his own policies would be as President and head of his government.
Dr. Bawumia acknowledged that the current size of the government is problematic and a drain on the government's coffers, and assured that he would cut down the size of the government as president to save money.
He also explained his new tax regime proposal and detailed to the workers how he intends to overhaul the present tax system, which he described as confusing because many don't understand how it works.
"As I have already announced, I will be introducing a new tax system to replace the current one, which is very confusing to many people. I will introduce a new flat tax rate for businesses, and this will make it easier for everyone to calculate their tax obligations," he told the workers.
"I will also grant tax amnesty next year, God willing; so that businesses can start afresh with the new tax system."
Dr. Bawumia was confident that the new tax system is needed to make it easier and simpler for people to file their tax returns—a situation he said will expand the tax net and reduce the tax burden on Ghanaian workers.
"The government always focuses on the formal sector; that's why the tax burden is so high. But if we expand the tax net by making it a flat rate to encourage more people, the burden on formal workers will reduce," he added.
Dr. Bawumia also explained his decision to benchmark Ghana's import duties with Togo, to offer Ghanaian importers some respite and also discourage smuggling, due to Togo's lower import duty charges.
In the mining sector, Dr. Bawumia shared in detail his vision to formalize small-scale miners and empower them through the Minerals Development Bank, which he said his government will establish to assist small-scale miners.
He also shared with the TUC how he plans to invest more in mineral exploration by resourcing the Geological Survey Department and some local universities, such as UMAT, to ensure Ghana explores its rich untapped gold, estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
"These gold reserves, when found, will be 100% owned by Ghanaians, and that will benefit our country more."
Dr. Bawumia also expressed a strong commitment to fighting corruption and referenced the work he has done through digital systems to combat corruption.
Many members of the TUC who made contributions commended the Vice President for his policies and made proposals for his consideration.
