Minority’s Mid‑Year Budget objections baseless and politically driven - Labour expert

The Secretary‑General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has openly backed the 2026 Mid‑Year Budget Review presented by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, rejecting the Minority’s objections as baseless and politically driven.

Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu programme on Saturday, July 25, 2026, Koomson argued that the review contained no grounds for the fierce opposition mounted by the Minority Caucus in Parliament.

He accused the Minority of opposing government initiatives simply for the sake of politics and urged the National Democratic Congress administration to stay focused on its mandate rather than be distracted by partisan attacks.

The Minority had earlier dismissed the budget review as uninspiring, claiming it failed to introduce new measures to tackle Ghana’s infrastructure challenges and lacked updates on stalled health projects such as the Agenda 111 hospitals.

They also criticised the absence of a clear funding strategy for key sectors.

Presenting the review in Parliament, Dr Forson announced that government was not seeking supplementary estimates, leaving the 2026 Appropriation Budget unchanged. He reaffirmed Ghana’s GDP growth target of 4.8 percent or higher and projected end‑year inflation at about 8 percent, with a margin of plus or minus 2 percent.

While endorsing the overall direction of the budget, Koomson urged the Finance Minister to reconsider what he described as “nuisance taxes” burdening businesses.

He specifically cited the fumigation levy, the Import Declaration Form (IDF) levy, and the proposed cargo levy, warning that such charges raise the cost of doing business, stifle productivity, and undermine industrial growth.

He stressed that easing the tax burden would strengthen Ghana’s competitiveness, attract investment, and support the government’s broader economic recovery agenda.



SA