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General News of Sunday, February 24, 2019
Source: theheraldghana.com
2019-02-24
play the videoPresident Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo delivered his third speech on the state of national discourse (SONA) in Parliament on Thursday, but did not address two major issues on the lips of Ghanaians. the continuous fall of the cedi and the three Takoradi girls, kidnapped by a Nigerian, without knowing where they are.
The local currency is not doing well against most international currencies, it is trading at Five Cedis Twenty Eight Pesewas (5.28 GH ¢) against one US dollar, Six Cedis Fifty-Four Pesewas (6.54 GH ¢) at the British Pound and five Cedis Sixty-eight pesewas (5.68 GH ¢) to the euro.
The cost of living has been high, with prices for goods and services increasing day by day.
Indeed, many traders, including those in Okaishie, Agbogbloshie, Abossey Okai, and others, who rely on these international currencies to trade, have been disappointed by the failure of the president to give such badurances and to give badurances, could be a weak point of his speech, as far as traders were concerned.
Priscilla Mantebea Koranchie, 15, and Ruth Love Quayson, 18, went missing last December, while 21-year-old Priscilla Blessing Bentum disappeared last August, but regional police West and Takoradi division The police did not make any significant breakthrough among those responsible for the kidnapping, apart from the arrest of Samuel Udoetuk Wills, 28 years old, the alleged kidnapper.
It is interesting to note that, despite the national turmoil, President Akufo-Addo did not talk about this incident and did not give hope to the girls' families to know what the security agencies were doing to find and save the three girls and arrest those who were behind the kidnapping. to mention it to SONA, could be disappointing for their relatives who have watched and lobbied for their daughters to come back.
On other issues, the president, said the tax-exemption policy, has turned out to be an Achilles heel and a growing threat to fiscal stability and income generation in the country. the country.
"Revenue mobilization poses the greatest challenge to managing our economy with the tax exemption policy, in particular, which turns out to be an Achilles heel and a growing threat to the generation of tax and tax revenues. "
According to the President, over the past eight years, tax exemptions for import duties, import VAT, NHIL import and national VAT have increased GH ¢ 392 million, ie 0.6% of GDP in 2010, to 4.66 billion GH ¢. or 1.6% of GDP in 2018.
These figures do not include exemptions from the payment of corporate and personal income tax, tax concessions on petroleum products, exemptions from the tax on petroleum products, exemptions from customs duties for missions diplomatic missions, nor the abolition of processing fees in ports.
"If we continue at this rate, in less than sixteen years, half of Ghana's revenue will be deducted as a tax holiday."
He added: "We intend to do something about tax exemptions by introducing appropriate measures that may upset the simple and comfortable arrangements that many have become accustomed to, but that we must take to ensure the strongest foundation for economic development. take off that has escaped us for so long.
President Akufo-Addo reiterated his government's commitment to maintain the discipline necessary for Ghana not to return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the 17th time.
An IMF team has completed this week the 7th and 8th reviews under Ghana's Expanded Credit Facility program in 2015. An IMF Board of Directors approval in March is expected to drive Ghana out of the country. the program after April 3rd.
In his address on the state of the nation, President Akufo-Addo said that, in order not to repeat the reintegration cycle into the Fund immediately after its exit, Ghana will have to ensure that systems such as the Council budget are put in place. discipline in the management of the economy, are as effective as possible.
"We have just concluded the program with the IMF and with continued discipline, we will sign the agreement in April. This is the 16th time that Ghana has to visit the IMF in its history. Mr. Speaker, we can only achieve the progress we all want if we are consistent and disciplined in the management of our economy. We went through another series of painful impositions to arrive at our current situation with sound fundamentals. "
The president added that a new round of actions that led to a return to the IMF in the past will not happen again under his government.
"As we prepare to exit the IMF program, we expect the impressive numbers and good performance to continue. We are very aware that this is not the first time we have such a good set of figures, but we are determined to do things differently this time around.
We have imposed fiscal discipline on ourselves, we are repaying our legacy debts, we are deepening good governance practices, and business confidence has increased. We will maintain discipline and make progress in our country. "
Sanitation in the country has improved considerably since President Akufo-Addo promised to make Accra the cleanest city in 2017.
This is the badessment of President Akufo-Addo more than a year after the declaration.
According to him, although the government can do much more to achieve the goal, it has achieved significant results in improving sanitation in the country.
"Last year, I reiterated to you my commitment to improving sanitation in the country and to making Accra the cleanest city in Africa in Africa. 39, here the end of my term. Mr President, there has been a significant improvement in sanitation although I recognize that it is possible to do more. "
He added that the country had increased the solid waste handling capacity it manages from 16% to 53%, noting that by 2018, the government had built more than 35,000 domestic toilets intended for defecation. in the open air.
"This is the current state of affairs, we are seeing an increase in the average of solid waste management between 16% and 53% and over the last year, 35,862 domestic toilets were built against 1,698 in 2016, "he said.
Akufo-Addo expressed dissatisfaction with the open defecation incident in the country which he said should not be the case in 2019.
He said that such conduct did not deserve Ghanaians and should be avoided.
The president said the government was working to enforce the regulations on sanitation and deal with people who flout it.
In 2018, President Akufo-Addo criticized the filth that would have swamped the country's capitals.
He further revealed that an amount of 200 million GHAC had been allocated to solve the problem of dirt, especially in Accra on an urgent basis.
"We are investing 200 million GH ¢ to solve the sanitation problems we have. I am confident that by my return next year, there will be significant progress in improving our sanitation system, "he said.
President Akufo-Addo also added his voice to calls by various civil society groups and international agencies to the country's two main political parties to dissolve their self-defense groups.
In his speech to Parliament on the state of the nation in 2019, he entrusted the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to which he belongs, to invite the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to the opposition, to debate how to dissolve their party. groups of vigilantes.
Akufo-Addo said the phenomenon of political vigilance could destabilize the country and reverse the country's democratic achievements over the years.
"I wish to use the platform of this message to make a sincere and pbadionate appeal to the leaders of the two main political parties of our country, NPP and NDC, so that they gather as soon as possible, preferably next week. , in order to agree. appropriate measures to put an end to this disturbing and unacceptable phenomenon of vigilance in our body politic, "he said.
Citing the recent violence that has hit the constituency of Ayawaso West Wuogon due to the alleged activities of politically aligned self-defense groups, President Akufo-Addo has promised to use a legislation to put an end to the phenomenon of political vigilance if the two parties did not do so voluntarily.
"I asked the leaders of the NPP to invite NDC leaders to such a meeting. The security services of the country will be ready to attend this meeting … If the voluntary dismantling by the parties is not feasible, I will propose legislation on this subject. A vigorous debate and exchange of ideas should be the true basis of political dialogue and competition in our country, not the activities of party party groups, "he added.
The phenomenon of vigilantism has become a current issue in the country as a result of the increasing number of physical attacks and attacks perpetrated by members of self-defense groups aligned with Ghana's main political parties, the NDC. and the NPP.
Some of these attacks resulted in death and injury to victims, including innocent citizens.
Recently, the presence of masked and armed men in a polling station during the partial election of Ayawaso Wuogon sparked discussions about it.
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