Ghana is currently going through bad economic conditions, the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, Professor Raymond Atuguba has said.
He said the government must be compelled to acknowledge the economic mess and try to deal with it.
“We do not want coup in this country but if we do not act quickly we may have one in our hands. There is one thing to do now, prevent coup in Ghana since the climate and the environment, national and immediate international, are conducive for one. We must compel the government to acknowledge the current economic mess, they mostly, and previous governments, to a larger extent.
“Ghana’s economic problems started before Covid-19. On balance, Covid-19 was a good thing for Africa and Ghana.” he said at a forum held by Solidare Ghana Monday February 28.
He further noted that as wicked as it is, the E-levy is the only way to save Ghana’s economy from collapse in the short term.
“The first step is to pass the E-levy immediately and implement it effectively. To prevent the collapse of the economy and a return to the stronghold of the IMF, we have no choice but to pass it…. As horrible and wicked as it is, it is the only way to save our economy from collapse in the short term.”
“The starting point for passing the E-levy is for government to stop lying to the citizenry, come clean and confess that they thought the job of managing the economy was simple, but now they know better, plead with the people of Ghana that we have limited options now,” the former executive secretary to former President Mahama added.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader in Parliament Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has expressed optimism that the E-levy will be approved by Parliament.
He said New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmakers are going round the country explaining the policy to Ghanaians in order for them to accept it.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with TV3’s Benjamin Aidoo, the Suame lawmaker and leader of Government Business in Parliament said “You will see the Finance Minister going to organize townhall meetings in various regional capitals.
“Maybe, we underestimated the resistance. In any human institution people really will not come out openly to embrace the imposition of taxes, so we thought that yes, there will be some resistance it being a new levy or tax that we are going to introduce, but maybe we underestimated the strength of the resistance.
“Maybe, what we are doing now, I know some of my colleagues are out in various regions and constituencies trying to explain matters to their constituents, with hindsight maybe, this ought to have preceded the introduction of the E-levy. Perhaps, next time we will do better.
“But as I said we are still engaging and I want to believe that we will certainly bring this to successful completion.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana