GFL demands emergency tripartite committee meeting over new taxes

The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has raised serious concerns about the Akufo-Addo government’s newly proposed taxes captured in the 2021 Budget Statement.

The Federation says the new taxes will have a negative impact on the “conditions of service and living standards of workers” and has since demanded the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations call for an emergency tripartite committee meeting to determine the fate of workers.

The Secretary-General of the GFL, Abraham Koomson, in a statement noted that the meeting will focus on the fallout of the approved budget.

The GFL’s reservations come on the back of the approval of the budget statement for the 2021 fiscal year last week.

The new taxes proposed by the government are on petroleum products, 1% COVID-19 Health Levy on VAT Flat Rate Scheme, and 1% on the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL).

Despite the reservations from most Ghanaians and the business community, the government has said times are hard and that Ghanaians have to bear with it and pay extra taxes as a way to revive the economy which it said was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, last week pleaded with Members of Parliament and Ghanaians to accept to pay a little extra taxes, saying “we are at that point where every Ghanaian has to chip in a little so that we are able to recover.”

“We cannot as a country allow the temporary challenges that we face today to hold us back,” he said whilst contributing to the 2021 budget discussion in Parliament on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.

“We need to bite the bullet, raise some more resources and invest the same in the things that we all aspire to achieve in this country,” he added.