Bawumia reiterates promise to have a second look at Ghana’s tax system

The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has reiterated his promise to have a second at the tax system in Ghana which he admits is problematic.

Addressing spare parts dealers at Suame Magazine in Kumasi on Tuesday, June 11 as part of his tour of the Ashanti Region, he that he wants to begin the flat rate tax system on a fresh note and would therefore grant an amnesty to all businesses in 2025 if elected.

“Ghana, our tax system is problematic just as the businessmen are complaining. So I want to introduce a new tax system. This new tax system is called the flat tax system which is like the tithe you pay in church. If it is 10%, it is 10% for everyone.

“So by 2025, we are going to begin the implementation of a new flat tax system for Ghana.”

He added “We will cut off every tax the GRA would have made you pay in 2025 so that we all start from ground zero. Tax amnesty in 2025,” he assured.

Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has made a number of promises including ensuring that the import duties in Ghana are not above those of  Lome, Togo.

He observed that  Lome port is a major competitor for Ghana. People usually import goods through the Lome port and smuggle them into Ghana.

To stop the smuggling, he said, Ghana will charge the same import duties as Lome or even lower.

“Tema port will be fully automated. We are bringing a new policy for import duty, we are going to align the import duty at Tema port with the import duty at the Lome Port. The ports in Ghana will not charge higher duties than the ports in Lome, this is our policy, we will not charge higher duties because they are our competitors.

“If you are higher all the containers will go to  Lome and they will smuggle them into Ghana and you will lose the revenue so we are going to make sure that under a new policy, we will be either lower or the same as  Lome. That is the policy and that will help our business people, no need for smuggling,” Dr Bawumia said in a breakfast meeting with NPP regional leaders ahead of his start of the campaign activities, on Monday, April 29.

Touting his achievements, for the first time in the history of Ghana, consumers of electricity can sit in the comfort of their homes or wherever they find themselves and buy electric power without having to join any line at the offices of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

This, he said, is among the list of innovative measures introduced by the Akufo-Addo administration.

“For the first time in our history, people can buy electricity units on their mobile phones, we take it for granted now but a few years ago you had to go and queue at the ECG payment center to buy electricity,”

He further indicated that the government has built more courts for the judiciary than any other government did.

Also, he said, the government has provided cars and equipment to the Ghana Armed Forces and the Police more than any government.