Ghana’s largest opposition party and minority in Parliament threatens vote of no confidence against the Finance Minister, here’s why

According to the Members of Parliament (MPs) of the party, the Minister wants to deliberately manipulate the government’s spending figures to stay within the accepted limit.

Per the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, a Finance Minister should not superintend a fiscal deficit which exceeds 5percent lest he be censored.

The Minority spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson made the revelation while speaking to Accra-based Joy FM.

Minority claims

He claimed that Mr Ofori-Atta is trying to avoid censorship, the reason he is manipulating the figures.

Mr Forson said the Minority MPs are going to reject the figures Mr Ofori-Atta will present when he appears in the House to present the 2020 budget statement on Wednesday.

“He should prepare because he has already exceeded that 5 per cent,” the Ajumako Enyan Essiam MP charged, adding they will invoke the law to boot him out of office.

Mr Forson further argued that the government has decided not to treat monies used in the banking sector clean up as expenditure but has decided to treat monies gained from it as revenue.

This, the Deputy Finance Minister, described as cosmetic accounting.

2020 budget presentation

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta will on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, present the 2020 budget and financial statement of Parliament.

The Budget was earlier scheduled to be read on Thursday, November 14, 2019, but has been rescheduled to the present date.