Luxury Vehicle / Conversation Tax – You're only pointing "Peter to pay Paul" – Ghanaians say to Akufo-Addo

General News of Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2019-07-30

Eliminating one tax and increasing another is next to nothing, said sections of Ghanaians about the increase in the conversation tax announced by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in Parliament, Monday, July 29, 2019 .

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, during the mid-year 2019 budget review, revealed Monday an increase in the tax on communication services from 6% to 9%. He also noted that the government, in the effort to "listen" to its citizens, has given up its decision to continue implementing the luxury tax vehicle.

Reacting to the Finance Minister's statement, some Ghanaians said the new policy was "stealing Peter to pay Paul". This goes against the goal of relieving the economic hardship of the people they believe in.
In his presentation, the Minister of Finance said that President Akufo-Addo reminded its appointed members, especially ministers, that Ghanaians were under pressure to redouble their efforts to improve their lives. .

"Many Ghanaians are still suffering in spite of everything the government has done so far," said the Minister of Finance during the presentation of the mid-term review of the budget in Parliament.

The tax on communications is governed by the first section of the Communication Services Tax Act, 2008 (Law No. 754) and is paid by the consumers of the communication service providers on a monthly basis.

During the presentation of the mid-year budget on Monday, the Minister of Finance said that the taxes on luxury vehicles adopted in 2018 have been removed.

Owners of vehicles with a cubic capacity of two thousand nine hundred and fifty (2950) cubic centimeters and more had to pay taxes ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 GH ¢.

In addition, some people who have spoken to Ghana, WebWeb, have welcomed Ken Ofori-Atta's decision to increase the tax on communications.

They believe that this action will help fight cybercrime among other fraudulent activities that have become commonplace in the country.