Afrobarometre Survey: We are Not In A Wrong Direction But Rather Backtracking- Tax Analyst

Tax Analyst and the  Executive Director for Revenue Mobilisation Africa, Geoffrey Ocansey has said that the country is not in the wrong direction but rather backtracking.

Reacting to the new Afrobarometre survey that the majority of Ghanaians believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction.

Speaking to Ohene Addo on Plan B Fm morning show NKOSUONSEM on Wednesday July 20, 2022 , he explained that the current situation in the country is how our leaders are using taxpayers’ money.

He stressed that there are a lot of ongoing projects being financed by taxpayers money and loans which has been abandoned by the successive governments making the progress of the country and its citizens to backtrack.

He added that corruption, revenue leakages in the system and tax exemptions are also things that need to be looked at because recently the finance minister confirmed that the state lost about GH¢27 billion to tax exemptions granted to some businesses between 2008 and 2020.

The amount translates to about GH¢2.2 billion surrendered in tax waivers each year for the 12-year period, which if this money is being given to the state will help to ease the hardship in the country.

The latest Afrobarometer survey on Economy, public services, and taxation has revealed that the majority of Ghanaians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.

According to the report, respondents also provided negative assessments of the country’s economic conditions and living conditions.

“A large majority of citizens gave unfavourable assessments of both their living conditions and the nation’s economic condition, and few were optimistic that things will improve during the coming year.”

“Meanwhile, citizens’ ratings of the government’s performance on key economic issues were overwhelmingly negative. Citizens’ gloomy outlook aligns with macro-level indicators on Ghana’s struggling economy in a difficult global environment. The country is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund in hopes of stabilising the economy.”

The study also showed that there has been a “15% drop since 2017” in economic conditions.

Key findings

1. Almost nine out of 10 Ghanaians (87%) say the country is heading “in the wrong direction.”

Only 11% see things going in the right direction, a 24 -percentage-point decline since 2019

2. Majorities offer negative assessments of economic conditions.

85% describe the country’s economic condition as “fairly bad” or “very bad,” up from 62% recorded in 2019.

And 72% say their living conditions are “fairly bad” or “very bad,” compared to 58% three years ago.

3.  Ghanaians are not very optimistic about the economy: Only 25% expect things to be better in 12 months

4.  By large majorities, citizens say the government is performing “fairly badly” or “very badly” on keeping prices stable (94%), narrowing income gaps (92%), improving the living standards of the poor (85%), creating jobs (83%), and managing the economy (82%) (Figure 4).

Afrobarometer surveys

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Eight survey rounds in up to 39 countries have been completed since 1999.

Round 9 surveys (2021/2022) are currently underway.

Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.

The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,400 adult Ghanaians in April 2022.

A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Previous surveys were conducted in Ghana in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019.