According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of parliament for North Tongu, the 2023 budget statement and economic strategy have not been adopted by Parliament as previously stated.
Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that, the budget declaration was apparently adopted by Parliament on Tuesday, according to many media outlets.
He claims that Parliament has just finished discussing and passing the proposal.
The second step of the budget approval process, the approval of the particular budgetary allocations to the ministries, has not yet been approved by Parliament, he said in a Facebook post.
The third stage, when Parliament will consider the government’s revenue legislation, will then begin.
The Appropriations Bill, which is an itemized total of all authorized estimates by the House depending on how much money the government may spend in the next year, must be passed as the last step.
The Minority in Parliament has come under fire from several Ghanaians for allegedly helping to approve the budget.
In response, Mr. Ablakwa said that, “Ghanaians did not give the NDC a parliamentary majority, neither is it an NDC President destroying our economy and introducing bitter policies to further impoverish the citizenry.”
However, he promised that they will carry out their obligations in an, “utmost integrity, good conscience, respect and solidarity with the suffering Ghanaians we represent.”
The GH10 million budget allocation to the Ministry of Defense’s Defense Advisory Services has been threatened with rejection by the minority in parliament.
Additionally, they have questioned the reason for the almost GH400 million rise in the allocation for the contingency vote, from GH999 million to GH1.4 billion.
A decrease in the Electronic Transaction Levy, or E-levy, from 1.5% to 1% is one of the provisions in the 2023 budget submitted by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta. Additionally, the GH100 daily barrier was eliminated.
The administration, on the other hand, wants to raise the Value Added Tax (VAT) by 2.5%.
However, the government’s proposed tax increases have drawn heavy criticism from the minority.
Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu contends that the e-levy should be 0.5% in a supposedly troubled economy. The minority claims that they are opposed to a VAT rise.
On December 21, 2022, Parliament is anticipated to adjourn after its third session.
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