The Minority in parliament has asked Ghanaians to prepare themselves for difficult times ahead as it casts doubts on the government’s budget and economic projections for 2018.

At a roundtable discussion ahead of Wednesday’s budget presentation by the Finance Minister, Minority spokesperson on finance, Cassiel Ato Forson said: “We believe that the 2018 budget won’t create jobs. How can you create jobs when commercial banks are in a big distress? The local banks don’t have the liquidity to lend to the private sector to create jobs.

“Ladies and gentlemen let us be assured that next year there will be severe austerity and hardships equivalent to 1983,” he said.

READ ALSO: 2018 budget to focus on job creation -Akufo-Addo

Mr Forson also indicated that the Minority will not allow the government to overburden the ordinary Ghanaian with taxes.

The Minority further urged the government to be transparent in the way in which over GHC177 million was spent on the issuance of the energy sector bond, which was poorly patronized and failed to reach its target.

On his part, the Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu urged the media to hold the government accountable as they did to the previous Mahama administration.