Parliament has passed a resolution to investigate all contracts awarded by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The resolution comes in the wake of the controversial 10-year contract between GRA, the Finance Ministry and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) for revenue assurance services.
The resolution emanated from a report from the Finance Committee which was adopted by House on Friday.
The committee among other things recommended that from January 2024, payments to SML must be suspended.
The Parliamentary Committee on Finance has therefore been directed to investigate all contracts the Authority has awarded, especially that of SML.
The investigation will ascertain the duration of the contract and since it was a multi-year contract, it required a parliamentary approval under the Public Financial Management Act, Section 33 of Act 921.
The Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has charged the Committee to do a thorough work and make issues clear to Ghanaians.
For the part of the Ranking Member, Isaac Adongo, he stated the interest of Ghanaians was paramount and will be diligent in its work.
Earlier, John Jinapor, Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament described the contract as a “rip-off” and a “burden on taxpayers” designed to enrich “greedy politicians.”
He demanded its suspension until a probe by the Minority caucus can establish possible mismanagement.
Meanwhile, GRA has justified the work of SML over the period has led to a significant increase in the figures reported in the downstream petroleum sector, from an average of 350 million litres per month in 2018 and 2019, to 450 million litres per month from 2020/2021.
This, it said, represents over a 33% increase in volume reporting and an average of an extra 100 million litres per month at a levy rate of ¢1.44.
ALSO READ:
.){kind=link}