Former Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has described as infantile the Minority’s decision to abolish the E-Levy, Betting Tax, and other policies as they take the majority side of the House.
He says they cannot do that as they may need presidential approval.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has pledged to use its newly declared “majority status” in Parliament to alleviate Ghanaians’ tax burden.
The Minority Leader, Dr. Ato Forson, said controversial taxes such as the Electronic Transfers Levy, also known as E-Levy, and betting taxes would be scrapped.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday following Speaker Alban Bagbin’s ruling, which declared four parliamentary seats vacant, the NDC caucus leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, affirmed the party’s commitment to reducing what he described as “nuisance taxes.”
Dr. Ato Forson reiterated that “the NDC’s majority status” would be used to ease the economic hardships caused by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s policies.
He assured the public that the NDC’s immediate focus would be on removing taxes that have caused widespread dissatisfaction. “It is indeed true that we will use our new majority numbers to benefit Ghanaians by introducing private members’ bills to remove the E-Levy to reduce the suffering of the people.”
But speaking on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ programme, the Suame legislator explained that the Minority knows they will need presidential assent to ensure those taxes are abolished, should they even be able to sail through with their decision to abolish those taxes when they eventually become the majority.
“These are, excuse my language, infantile arguments that should not be countenanced at all. Or will they send the bill to former President Mahama to sign?” he quizzed.
