He has waded into the debate of the government introducing three levies and the decision to increase taxes in the 2021 budget statement.
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Gov't is not asking you to pay for COVID-19 debt - Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko tells Ghanaians
A leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has said the government has not asked Ghanaians to pay for the cost of COVID-19 that hit the country in 2020.
Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko
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The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah indicated that the government needs adequate support from Ghanaians to succeed in its post-COVID-19 economy recovery plan.
According to him, Ghanaians must pay for the free provision of water and electricity introduced by the government in 2020 as part of the relief packages to bring financial and social relief and reduce the continued ravaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
"It [Water and electricity] was free to the people of Ghana at the time," Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah said.
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"When we say free electricity it doesn't mean that the IPP producer is also going to say because the President has said free electricity I won’t charge for it," he added.
But Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko in a Facebook post said "The Government is not asking you to pay for the cost of Covid-19 last year. No! That cost led to the huge fiscal burden which we do not want to be repeated this year."
He said "the task this year is two-fold: to defeat the virus and rebuild the economy for businesses to thrive to create jobs and put cash in the pockets of workers.
"The 2021 budget is not asking you to pay for the cost of 2020. You are being asked to help share the burden of the existing COVID-19 costs, including vaccines for over 20 million Ghanaians."
He added: "Remember there is an equally important cost of reviving the economy through the cost of stimulus packages. Deceit is when a government pretends there is no cost to anything and uses your taxes not for the greater public good. As taxpayers, we must all consider ourselves as partners in bringing our national economy back to life even as Government continues to invest your money to save lives."
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