General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has dismissed assertions that the party is against taxation.
Addressing a public forum on the 2022 budget at the Alisa Hotel, Wednesday, he said the NDC believes one means through which the country can be developed is taxation.
“Since we started attacking this budget, there’s been a misconception that NDC is against taxation and the propaganda has gone to even indicate that we are nation wreckers.”
“I want to let everybody know that NDC is not against taxation. Indeed, our philosophy is based on taxation; we believe in redistributive justice and taxation is a means of achieving redistribution of wealth in the country,” he said.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia made these comments on the back of the 1.75% electronic transaction levy (e-Levy) proposed by government in the 2022 budget statement and economic policy.
According to him, the NDC believes “the ‘MoMo tax’ in this budget is not going to help get Ghanaians, particularly the vulnerable ones who bear the problems that have been brought about by this COVID-19, which the government has mentioned all along in the budget presentation.”
He stressed that the imposition of taxes on the citizenry must be done proportionately to avert any burden for the taxpayer.
“We are very conscious about what type of taxation and how that taxation is implemented because if you put in taxation measure that works to put the greatest burden on the people who are already sinking, then you are not helping to build a welfare society.”
“We believe that it [e-levy] is rather going to burden the vulnerable ones who must be entitled to some protection in this time of difficulty. When it comes to government expenditure, we also believe that to each according to his needs. So when you are taking the money, from each according to his means; then you are distributing, to each according to his needs,” he explained.
The NDC said government should use revenues generated from the collection of taxes for the stated purposes.
