The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has asked the government not to introduce new taxes as it prepares to present the 2022 budget statement next week.
The President of GUTA, Dr. Joseph Obeng asked the government to use the 2022 budget to reduce the cost of doing business and strengthen companies to help the economy recover.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, he insisted that the government must resist the temptation to introduce new taxes in the budget.
He asserted that given the hardship businesses are facing at the moment, it would be a terrible mistake for the government to introduce new taxes.
He said the outbreak of the Covid-19 affected businesses so badly and any attempt to introduce new taxes could collapse businesses.
He said the outbreak of the pandemic also threw the expenditure of the government out of gear following which new taxes were introduced.
“We understood the times we were in so we did not complain. But as we go into 2022, we do not want new taxes introduced. Importers are struggling and the fees charges we pay are extremely high. The situation has led to the prices of goods and services increased at a fast rate. We don’t want the government to introduce new taxes. It would be a recipe for disaster for businesses and Ghanaians in general.”
He asked the government to widen the tax net and remove the tax holidays enjoyed by some businesses because it is an abuse of the tax policy.
He advised the government to cut down on excessive spending since it would lead to a serious crisis for taxpayers.
For him, if we are in an economic crisis, then we need crisis solutions to solve our problems.
