Increase our non-tax revenue retention from 30 to 70% - JUSAG
According to him, this will enable the Service to retain much internally generated Funds(IGF) to settle allowances of Judges, Magistrates, and staff.
President of the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana(JUSAG), Mr Samuel Afotey Otu has called for an increase of the Judicial Service’s non-tax revenue retention from its current level of 30% to 70%.
According to him, this will enable the Service to retain much internally generated Funds(IGF) to settle allowances of Judges, Magistrates, and staff.
Mr Afotey made this call at the 2023 Conference of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana, (AMJG) on the theme; “A Financially Independent and Accountable Judiciary: The Key to Effective Justice Delivery”
Additionally, Mr. Afotey observed that it is time for the state to re-examine the extent to which we have been accountable for the powers vested in the Judiciary while simultaneously brooding on the extent to which the Judiciary has been financially independent.
As such, he also called for a separate budgetary allocation to the Judiciary to prevent its dependence on the government and allow the Judiciary to allocate funds according to its own needs.
JUSCO Fund for Financial Independence
According to the JUSAG president, its JUSCO fund is timely because to be independent, there was the need for the Association to operate an in-house operational financial credit union to make them free from private financial institutions.
He thus made a plea for all Judges to join the fund since it will additionally help to prevent any perceived biases or conflicts of interest that may arise from relying on these branches of government for financial support.
Further to the above, Mr. Afotey called on Authorities to enhance the salaries and welfare packages of Judges and magistrates as well as staff of the Judicial Service to reduce the temptations of corruption and to also increase job satisfaction.
Also, the president of the Association commended the Honourable Chief Justice for her role in the community engagement programs which helps to remind and educate the public of the role of an independent Judiciary.
