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Parliament passed the Value Added Tax Amendment bill by a majority vote, raising the rate by 2.5 percent. The contentious law had to go to a head count in order to succeed by a 135-136 majority vote.
Members of the Minority stated that raising the VAT rate will exacerbate the hardships that Ghanaians are now experiencing.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, ranking member of the finance committee, and his deputy Isaac Adongo contended that the timing was incorrect.
The majority of MPs, on the other hand, claimed that the government needed the income to resuscitate the economy, asking NDC MPs to support the bill’s approval.
Also Read: Parliament approves 2023 Budget
After the voice vote, minority chief whip Muntaka Mubarak was forced to request for a head count.
The NDC MPs’ opposition was nonetheless restricted after the procedure since they could only gather 135 of their members against the majority’s 136.
The minority leadership’s decision not to ask for a split, which would have necessitated secret balloting, enraged the backbenchers.
