Bern-Switzerland—Ghana’s 1st town hall meeting in Switzerland ended here last night amid pomp and clarity, with a call for restructuring the existing bilateral relations between Ghana and Switzerland.
A questioner, Mr. Alabert Kwasi-Kumah Adzayi, cheered on by the numerous participants attending the open forum, organized under the auspices of Ghana Embassy in Switzerland, has asked: “Is Ghana-Switzerland bilateral treaty going mile distance to consider tax credits or returns to Ghana?”
The town hall meeting, jointly organized by five Ghanaian cultural associations, unlike the types in USA, which was characterized by wild-cat calls and other hostilities, addressed itself to issues of General health care, Health insurance, Security, Immigration Investment, Customs and Excise, Agriculture and teenage pregnancy in Ghana.
In his contributions, Mr. Adzayi, CEO of Switzerland based Foreign Investment Promotion Agency, with subsidiary in Ghana, said while the already existing bilateral relations have helped to established stronger ties between the two countries, there is the need now, for its effect to be translated into reality to improve social and economic systems to benefit the people.
He explained that the reforms must go a mile distance to grant tax credits to Ghana, in the form of returning half’s of taxations being paid by Ghanaian workers in Switzerland to Ghana.
“The tax returns, will be a sort of gesture from the Swiss Government, and will undoubtedly help to revamp the nursing macro-economic sector to expand and create jobs, improve Security, health care and education”, he declared.
Mr. Adzayi urged Swiss banking sector to break away from its traditions of non-applicable and consider loans for Africans including Ghanaians working in Switzerland to build their homes in Africa, as being granted to immigrant workers in Europe, adding “we are all living in a global village and benefits should be extended to others, without any favoritism”.
(Ghana and Switzerland, have signed, a treaty on avoidance of double taxation of individuals and corporate bodies transacting business between the two countries. The tax includes tax on earned income, income from capital, industrial and commercial profits, capital gains, movable and immovable property, assets, paid-up capital and reserves, as well as other items of capital).
(In year 2002, the Swiss Government had noted with much admiration Ghana government’s achievement in the areas of macro -economic stability, good governance and respect for human rights and decided to include Ghana on the list of priority countries development assistance for the first fifteen years). Flanked by officials in expertise in Trade, Immigration, Chancery affairs and Finance, the Ambassador, Mrs. Ellen Serwaa Nee-Whang, at ease in the quiz hot seat, provided ready tailored answers to numerous questions, principally on business and investment, reminding the Ghanaian participants, among others;
“You are the best agents to project the prestige and good name of Ghana abroad: your conduct therefore, informs perceptions and impressions about Ghana, inter alias, on whether Ghana is an ideal location for business and investment and opportunities for tourism”.
Touching on bilateral relations between Ghana and Switzerland, she hinted that Ghana has been selected as a beneficiary of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Start-up Fund, which aims at promoting joint private partnership between Ghanaian and Swiss entrepreneurs as well as wholly owned Ghanaian private businesses in Ghana.
Under the scheme, Mrs. Serwaa Nee-Whang, explained that any Ghanaian businessman or woman who has a viable commercial proposition would be able to access financial support to promote their businesses.
Nene Okletey, who served as the chairman of the planning committee for the forum also addressed the participants, and urged the Ghanaians to work together as a team.
“This meeting has underscored that the multilateral spirit of co-operation is intact and very strong. I sensed a unanimous recognition that we are all in one boat and must work together and co-operate with one another to move our various communities together and Ghana as a whole”.
