Samuel Boateng, a political analyst has said that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was not truthful on certain happenings in Ghana which include the controversial E-Levy during a recent BBC interview.
According to the political analyst it is either President Akufo-Addo was not adequately prepared or he had no clear idea about the true state of the country’s economy.
In an interview with Ohene Addo, host of Plan-B FM morning show dubbed Nkosuonsem, Mr. Boateng pointed out that it is evidently clear that in recent times the prices of essential goods have all gone up and continue to go up by the day and wondered how President Akufo-Addo could create the impression that things in Ghana are not bad. He continued that Ghanaians across the country have been complaining about how lives have been difficult for them adding that businesses were collapsing because the economy is not conducive for them.
Pointing to the depreciation of the cedi against the major currencies especially the American dollars, Mr. Boateng noted that it would have been wrong for the president to answer the question posed by the interviewer who kept reminding President Akufo-Addo that things are not too well in Ghana. He added that the worrying thing about the situation is that things are not getting better but rather worsening with each passing day.
“How can you admit in your state of the nation’s address that things are hard in Parliament but turned around to say nothing is fundamentally wrong with Ghana’s economy”, Mr. Boateng remarked.
He disagreed with President Akufo-Addo when he answered one of the questions by stating that people do not like taxes and added that it was not surprising that Ghanaians objected the idea of E-Levy. He stated that such comment goes to establish the fact that President Akufo-Addo has failed Ghanaians.
He argued that the explanation by the President that the E-Levy would help deal with a lot of development in the country. Other options he pointed out could have been looked at rather than implementing the E-Levy against the wish of Ghanaians. He reminded that president to understand that the passing of the E-Levy into law could be compared to a situation where certain policies are forced on the Ghanaian Ghanaian who is already struggling to cope with the challenges of ravages of COVID-19.
According to Mr. Boateng the reduction of the percentage of the E-Levy to even 1.5% could not be described as a good policy which has the blessing of the people. “E-Levy is something most Ghanaians don’t want so the president must do something about it, he commented.
President Akufo Addo recently during a tour of the United Kingdom granted an interview with the BBC about Ghana’s economy and the recent passage and assent to ambiguous E-Levy which has left many Ghanaians talking about uncertain response from President Akufo Addo.
Discussion about this post