2024 budget is empty – Minority

 The Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Ajumako/Enyan/ Essiam, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, says the budget as presented by Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, is “empty” and does not address the pressing needs of the Ghanaian people.

“This particular budget is the true definition of an empty budget. Clearly, the NPP government has said good bye to the people of Ghana. This budget is cruel, insensitive, and out of touch with reality.

“Mr Speaker, it is important for us to note that this government is leaving behind a bankrupt, default, debt riddled, overtaxed, high food inflation, high mon­etary policy rate, high lending rate, high unemployment rate, inflation and misery economy,” the Minority leader said in reaction to the budget statement.

According to Dr Forson, it was obvious that the government’s economic manage­ment team led by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, was not within the understanding of happenings within the economy.

“The NPP government has plunged the ordinary Ghanaian into extreme poverty and hardships largely because of what the Catholic Bishops Conference described as the massive uncontrolled corruption in the government of Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia,” he observed.

He said despite promising in the lead up to winning the 2016 election to move the economy from taxation to production, the reverse is the narrative, stabbing the busi­ness community in the back in the process.

Despite the gamut of taxes suffocating businesses and citizens, Dr Forson said the government had introduced new taxes to cover plastic products, industrial emission, increase stamp duty, amongst others, to rake in GH¢11 billion from the pocket of the Ghanaian.

“This cruel, insensitive and out of touch bye budget is designed to inflict more pain and hardship on Ghanaians and busi­nesses,” he stated to loud cheers from his caucus.

In a response, however, Deputy Major­ity Leader and MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said the minority lacked the moral authority to accuse the govern­ment of economic mismanagement.

“The minority leader was the deputy Minister of Finance when the econo­my was in its worse state. Even without COVID, he could not, with his boss the Finance Minister and their government, implement the free SHS policy.

“Mr Speaker, today, after implementing free SHS, the figures bear us out. We have a transition enrollment rate of over 80 per cent compared to the 55 per cent in their era.”

He said the Akufo-Addo government had been sensitive to the plight of the people by constructing landing beaches for coastal communities; a venture the opposi­tion ran away from whilst in office.

To him, the criticism of the minority stems from the liberties of opposition, when in fact they had recorded the worse economic indices, stressing that the Ghanaian would be the judge of who has performed better.

Meanwhile, plenary which was largely quiet as Mr Ofori-Atta, wearing his signa­ture white kaftan apparel read the budget, came to life after the reading as both sides of the House pulled out their placards to appreciate or disapprove of the budget.

Whilst the Minority displayed placards with inscriptions like “wicked gov’t”, “haircut budget”, “last budget”, “cor­ruption budget”, “bye bye budget”, the Majority caucus held high their placards with some messages like “development budget”, “growth budget”, “we are mov­ing forward”, amongst others in apprecia­tion of the content of the budget.

 BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI