Government has moved from taxation to robbing the people – Domelevo

Former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo has expressed concern over the high taxes imposed on Ghanaians by the government.

According to him, the government has transcended into perpetuating thievery on citizens in the name of taxation.

“Ghana is a country which in my considered opinion, has moved beyond taxation to robbery of the people; instead of taxing people, we are now robbing the people,” he stated during a lecture he delivered at the 2024 edition of the Domelevo Accountability Lecture in Accra on Thursday, July 18, 2024.

He further bemoaned how government revenue is used while questioning the public’s reaction to such government acts.

“Whatever money the government will squeeze out of you, they will squeeze out of you and see the use to which they put this money. And I ask, why are my people not angry enough when you see these types of things happening?” he stated.

He warned African leaders to learn from the recent civil protests in Kenya and draw lessons from the events that occurred during the protests.

“The question you want to ask is, have the other African leaders, including our own president, taken any cue out of it? Or have we forgotten the African proverb that says when your colleague’s beard is burning, you fetch water and put yours inside?” he said.

According to Mr. Domelevo, it would be heartwarming for President Akufo-Addo to announce austerity measures, including cutting down on the size of his government.

The 2024 Domelevo Accountability Lecture was on “Is Ghana Winning the Fight Against Corruption?”