Parliament says the proposed 28-million-dollar car loan for MPs is not free. A statement issued by Public Affairs Directorate of the Parliamentary Service debunked allegations that government was procuring loan for the lawmakers for free.
It said the claims are “inaccurate’’ and only add to the misconceptions that continue to affect the work of the Institution of Parliament.
The statement said MPs cars are bought with loans which they pay for, adding that this has been the culture since the inception of the Second Parliament of the fourth republic in 1997.
It said the arrangement for Members of the Eighth Parliament is no different from the arrangement of the previous Parliaments’’. Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta, has tabled a loan agreement for 28 million dollars to Parliament for the purchase of 275 vehicles for MPs.
Per the arrangement, the government is to absorb 60 percent of the cost-plus interest, leaving the MP to pay 40 percent, as recommended by the Professor Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu emoluments committee.
The facility has ignited a national conversation with some people questioning the priority of the facility in the face of worsening economic conditions.