Parliament by majority vote of 137 to 134 has approved the budget statement and economic policy of the government for the year ending 31st December, 2021.
The motion for the debate was moved on Friday 12th March, 2021 by the Minister of State responsible for the Ministry of Finance, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and seconded on Tuesday, 16th March 2021 by MP for Ofoase/Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah.
After days of debates at the plenary, leaders from the both sides, Haruna Iddrisu and Alex Afenyo Matkin spoke for and against the motion and the Minority side managed to push the voting to head counts but lost it to the Majority by 3 votes as three of their members could not turn out to vote on Friday March 19, 2021.
At the end of the head count, the Speaker, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, announced that, ‘Yes’ got 137 and ‘No’ had 134 votes as he stated that, “Yes have it and the motion is accordingly adopted and carried out”.
Closing his debates, the Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, accused the Government of misreporting economic figures by saying, “we note that for the 2019 fiscal year, Government reported a fiscal deficit of 4.8% of GDP. Whilst at the same time as confirmed by the IMF in their April 2020 staff report a fiscal deficit of 7.5% of GDP. This means an amount of about GHS 8.2billion was concealed from our expenditure framework”.
He called for more clarity on 1% increase in NHIS levy, and other taxes introduced in the 2021 budget, namely, 1% increase in VAT flat rate, Betting and gaming levy, Energy Sector Levy of 20 pesewas per litre on fuel, Review of road tolls, Sanitation and pollution levy and Financial sector cleanup levy and vowed to reject them if details are not provided.
But the Member of the Parliament of Ghana for the Effutu constituency and Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, however, praised the government for successfully implementing some its flagship projects like 1D1F, Planting for food and jobs and supplying Ghanaians of free water and electricity during COVID-19 period.
Story filed by Edzorna Francis Mensah.