‘We’ve moved past taxation; it’s robbery now’ – Domelevo

According to a report by MyJoyOnline, former Auditor General Daniel Yao Domelevo has taken aim at the government’s handling of public finances, arguing that recent policies have crossed a moral and ethical line.

“This is a government that has moved from taxation to robbery,” Domelevo declared.

Domelevo’s comments come amid increased scrutiny of the government’s financial management practices, particularly with regard to its reliance on tax revenue.

However, Domelevo argues that this taxation has gone beyond the reasonable duty of citizens to support public projects and services.

Instead, he suggests, it has entered a realm where taxes no longer serve the public good but seem designed to sustain government spending without accountability.

“It’s no longer a question of taxation; it’s clear exploitation,” he said, emphasizing that citizens feel as though their pockets are being unfairly “picked.”

In recent years, the public’s frustration with Ghana’s fiscal policies has only grown. Citizens have seen rising taxes, yet much of this revenue does not appear to be reinvested in visible, beneficial projects.

Domelevo highlighted failed or incomplete initiatives, like the controversial sky train project, as prime examples of wasted resources.

“Look at the Auditor General’s report,” he continued, pointing out the report’s alarming revelations of government overspending, financial mismanagement, and ghost projects with little to show for their hefty price tags.

“We are told about millions spent on projects that we have nothing to show for,” he remarked.

Domelevo’s frustration with the government’s fiscal policies echoes the findings of recent Auditor General’s reports, which reveal numerous cases of financial mismanagement, unexplained expenditures, and wasteful spending.

“It seems it doesn’t ring a bell in the ears of government at all,” Domelevo commented.

Domelevo stressed that the issues outlined in these reports are not minor oversights. “At this point, the misuse of resources feels like a betrayal to the people who fund them,” he said.