2022 budget failed to meet country’s challenges – Ato Forson

Dr Ato Forson, a ranking member on the Finance Committee in Parliament, has maintained that the 2022 budget has failed to address the challenges the country is facing including unemployment and high cost of living.

He added that it also showed the Akufo-Addo-led administration was not in tune with the realities of the citizenry.

Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister of Finance, on November 17, 2021, delivered the 2022 budget before Parliament which has generated mixed reactions from the public with focus being put on the abolishment of road and bridge tolls and introduction of a 1.75 per cent tax on all digital financial transactions.

DrForsoninsisted that Ghanaians would now face more hardships going forward because the Minority Caucus in Parliament had hoped the terrible state of the economy would compel the government to propose policies in the budget that addresses most pressing concerns of unsustainable debts, hardships, high cost of living, fiscal indiscipline, unemployment and misuse of public resources.

“But to our surprise, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has failed to show that they have a solution to these problems and challenges in the budget because this budget is not responsive to the most important issues affecting Ghanaians and they have been left entirely to their fate and have to brace themselves for more hardships.

“There are other challenges the Minority MPs have with the budget and will challenge some of the proposals in the budget during the debate before the House, the GHC3 billion expenditure allocated to the Office of the President is too much and the Minority will insist going forward that a detailed breakdown is given for such allocations.

“We have seen an amount allocated to the Office of the President; that is GHC3 billion as expenditure to be spent by the Office of the President, we in the Minority caution going forward we will demand a breakdown of this expenditure.

“Until the Minister responsible for National Security appears before us to answer the question relating to the President’s travels with private jet, the Office of the President’s budget will not be approved by us,” Dr Forson stressed. –citinewsroom.com