Blame President Akufo Addo if Ghanaians are not paying their taxes – Acting UPP Chairman

The Acting National Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Mr. Kenneth Nana Kwame Asamoah has said that President Akufo Addo is to be blamed for the refusal of most Ghanaians to pay their taxes.

He noted at a press briefing held on Saturday, September 18, 2021 that President Akufo-Addo opposed several tax reforms in his time as an opposition leader. Consequently, many Ghanaians are not particularly motivated to pay their taxes under his administration.

President Akufo Addo called on lawyers and the general society to commit to their tax obligations during the opening ceremony of the Annual General Conference of the Ghana Bar Association, held in Bolgatanga.

However, Mr. Asamoah has indicated that demonstrations such as the ones “Kume Preko” demonstration against the Value Added Tax (VAT) have created difficulty in the minds of Ghanaians who are now being asked to honor tax obligations by the same person who opposed several tax reforms in the past.

He added that while the call by President Akufo- Addo for lawyers and other professionals to pay their taxes is laudable, there is need to commend past governments for their roles in shaping the tax system in Ghana, including the government that introduced the VAT.

Mr. Asamoah further told the media that Ghanaians are disincentivized in this charge to pay taxes because successive governments fail to put the taxes to good use.

He argued that commuters will be encouraged to pay their taxes if they saw for instance, that damaged roads were appropriately repaid. He has thus called on the government to give citizens a reason to pay their taxes.