Approval of 2024 Budget Sparks Varied Responses

It took a head count from the floor of parliament for the government’s 2024 budget and policy statement to get approved on Thursday, December 7, 2023. Since its approval a number of politicians have raised some
apprehensions. Notably, the majority secured approval, maintaining a slim lead over the dissenting minority by a margin of 1.

In a recent discussion on GTV’s breakfast show, a member of the NDC’s National Communications Team, Gabriella Tetteh expressed disappointment with the IMF-inspired budget, stating, “I was hoping that the IMF inspired budget would have to cushion Ghanaians. When I heard it was going to be approved, I couldn’t even remember what was inspiring about it. It is nothing short of a shopping list of taxation and how to impoverish the ordinary Ghanaian.” Emphasizing the importance of action over mere promises, the speaker added, “It is not a matter of coming to give a list of ‘I want to do’; the real meat is what they do. That is where you see whether we are making progress or not.”

According to Hajia Hamdatu, former A-G chairperson of CPP, her expectations for the budget, was to witness tax exemptions on locally manufactured products. In a call for public engagement, she encouraged citizens to pose critical questions regarding the budget and underscored the importance of establishing clear national priorities. Hajia Hamdatu highlighted the agricultural sector’s potential, stating, “Let’s see what we can do to improve the agric sector. When the agric sector is very stable, our economy will bounce back and we won’t go for loans,” she stated this during the discussion.

In her perspective during the discussion, however, Ellen Ama Daaku, a member of the NPP communications team, stated, “These new taxes are taxes on goods that we import in this country.” She further addressed concerns about the informal sector, emphasizing the need to broaden the tax base to include those generating income in this sector. She asserted, “People in the informal sector who are working, making so much money and are not paying taxes. We have to find ways to expanding the taxes so that they also pay some.” Highlighting the crucial role of tax revenue, Miss. Daaku concluded, “It is the taxes that we collect that will help us to go and get money and build all the things that we have to build.”

The 2024 budget has finally been approved and Ghanaians are awaiting its implementation in the next one year.