The Minority Member of Parliament, (MP), for Ho Central Constituency has led his colleagues MPs’ on the minority side, to reject what he called ‘empty’ tax waiver to support One-District-One-Factory, (1D1F) Project.
The MP, Benjamin Komla Kpodo has contended that, the paper currently before Parliament is deficient and it is not qualify to be laid as the Minister of Finance sought to do.
Speaking to Journalists in an interview Parliament on Monday, March 25, 2019, over the matter, The MP said: “In first place, it is not contain any amount of taxes which Parliament is been requested to waive.”
“It is a blanket waiver which not the normal practice of Parliament”. He added.
According to him:, “Whenever, taxes are to be waived on import, what happen is that Ghana Revenue Authority compute the values of the items to be imported and relevant taxes and levies stated so that you determine the amount which Parliament is been requested to waive”.
On Monday, March 25, 2019, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, was seeking to present a paper captured as: “Request waiver of Import Duties, Import VAT/ GETFund Levy, Import NHIL, ECOWAS Levy, AU Levy, EXIM Levy, on plant, machinery and equipment or parts as tax incentives to support implementation of the One District One Factory (1D1F) Programme”.
But the MP described the above request as “just a blanket request” stressing that “Article 174 (2) of The Constitutions, it is clearly indicated that when tax is going to be waived, you should indicate the person or authority in whom favour the tax is been waived and here in this paper, there isn’t nothing like that so it does qualified to be laid’.
Mr. Kpodo noted that, this not constitutional, “there is no beneficiary, there is authority in whom favour the request is been placed before, Parliament”.
They should withdraw and do the property in accordance with the law to enjoy our support, he added.
Story by Edzorna Francis Mensah
