Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is set to conduct a press conference today to discuss how the Minority and other Ghanaians’ concerns about sections of the 2022 budget statement will be addressed.
The press conference will begin at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of the Ministry of Information.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, told the Minority that all of their concerns will be handled at the committee level.
The Minority had highlighted many concerns, including a request that the budget for Parliament be increased from GHS510 million to GHS1.7 billion, as well as concerns about the e-levy.
The Finance Minister‘s guarantee came immediately before the 2022 budget declaration was adopted by Parliament on Tuesday, November 30.
According to Joseph Osei Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker who stood in for the Speaker on Tuesday, “the House has adopted the Financial statement and approved the budget statement for the ensuing year ending 31st December 2021.”
“This house has approved the budget and economic statement,” he stressed.
Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, the Majority Leader in Parliament, has urged him to put aside the alleged rejection of the 2022 budget statement.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said on the House floor on Tuesday, November 30, that the budget’s rejection “did not meet the test established under Article 104,” because Parliament did not have the required numbers present in the chamber to decide things.
The minority walked out of the meeting.
The Minority has however rejected the assurance by Ofori-Atta.
Their leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said at a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, November 30, that they wanted their concerns to be included in the initial budget declaration rather than being debated in committees.
“If you are acknowledging and admitting that there were concessions, let it reflect in the statement” and not a meeting at the committee level.
He also emphasized that the Minority would reject the E-levy proposal in its current form at any time and in any place.
“We don’t support the E-levy in its current. Our point is to revise it to take care of the ordinary people.”
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SOURCE: 3NEWS
