The Ghana Joint Businesses Consultative Forum is appealing to abolish the new tax passed by Parliament.
The group is made up of the Ghana Union of Traders Association, GUTA, Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, GNCCI, Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Ghana Beverages Association, Chamber of Automobile Dealership Ghana, and amongst others.
Dr Joseph Obeng, President of GUTA says the multiplicity of taxes at the Ports, high inflation coupled with exchange rate volatility, COVID, and the Russia -Ukraine war have worsened the lots of businesses.
He berated that the new taxes will add to the already overburdened businesses.
According to him, the government could have sought other alternative means to generate revenue rather than implementing the new taxes, and added that government should make efforts to engage businesses to seek their input.
“We have converged here to register our total disapproval of the passage of these taxes the Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2023, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill 2022, the Ghana Revenue Authority Bill 2022 and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022 by the Parliament of Ghana.
There has not been any effort on the part of the government to engage the business community and seek their input.
These businesses are already overburdened with various taxes, therefore the implementation of these new taxes will lead to the collapse of businesses in the country.
Again the taxes will have a ripple effect on businesses and the consuming public as well.
The government could have adopted a different strategy for enhancing revenue generation in the country as a better alternative tobthrbIMf program rather than these obnoxious taxes.”
