Stop taking economy policies from social media – Ofori-Atta to Minority

Finance Minister Ken Ofor-Atta has advised the Minority in Parliament to desist from taking policy direction for “our economy from social media.”

“I would like to advise our friends in the opposition that they should stop taking direction on the economy from social media,” cautioned Mr. Ofori-Atta Thursday during his presentation of the mid-year fiscal policy review of the 2018 budget in Parliament.

The comments were in reaction to the roundtable breakfast dialogue organised by the Minority on the mid-year budget review on July 16 where, its spokesperson on finance Casiel Ato Forson painted a gloomy of the economy.

Addressing the breakfast dialogue, Mr. Forson projected among other things that Ghana’s public debt would hit GH¢173billion by the end of December 2018, moving the country’s debt to GDP ratio well beyond the 70 percent HIPC threshold.

Mr. Forson further noted that government was planning on increasing VAT, per a documented the Minority cited on the website of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

But in his presentation of the mid-year budget review, Mr. Ofori-Atta stated unequivocally that there will be no hike in VAT.

“I wish to assure the House that VAT will not be increased,” he stated followed by “we should stop taking policy directions for our economy from social media.”

The government, he said is intensifying tax compliance measures to make sure “we collect the taxes due us” but the increment of VAT was not an option.

Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM