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The Eastern Region has confirmed one new case of coronavirus on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, increasing the regional tally to 95.
Parliament by consensus granted a request for a waiver on income tax amounting to GH¢288,644,003 on personal emoluments of health workers for the months of April, May, and June 2020.
The package also includes waiver on additional allowances paid to frontline health workers in the fight against coronavirus for the months of March, April, May, and June 2020.
The approval was in response to a decision by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to, subject to parliamentary endorsement; waive the taxes as a means to motivate health workers and those on the frontline in the battle against the respiratory disease code-named COVID-19.
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As part of the incentive, frontline workers are expected to enjoy an additional 50 percent of their basic salary for the three months.
While waiver on personal emoluments amounts to GH¢237, 579,041, the 50 percent basic salary increase for frontline health workers amount to GH¢51, 064,962.
The approval of the waiver follows a request by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to the Legislature for waiver on income taxes amounting to GH¢288.644 million, to help cushion health workers in both public and private health facilities, who are on the frontline fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic.
However, Ghana will from Thursday, May 7, begin daily testing for the COVID-19 virus to pave the way for daily updates.
So far Ghana had conducted over 130,000 tests with a backlog of 1,9829 samples awaiting testing at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), which they hope to clear by May 7, 2020.