Tax and Revenue analyst, Geoffrey Ocansey is of the view that, the government should have granted the informal sector some tax reliefs during the mid-year budget review.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta on Thursday, July 29, 2021, presented the 2021 mid-year budget review.
Reacting to the mid-year budget on Plan B FM ‘Nkosuo Nsem’ with Ohene Addo, Mr. Ocansey indicated that vulnerable workers in the informal sector have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result deserve a tax holiday.
“If you look at the budget that was presented yesterday, there were no new additional tax; which I think is commendable, looking at the impact of the COVID-19. However, I was expecting some tax reliefs for traders in the informal sector. The formal sector benefitted immensely from the covid-19 relief fund whiles the informal sector received a paltry amount. Records indicate that, 70% of informal sector workers pay tax in the country, so I expect the government to have granted them some relief,” he explained.
Mr. Ocansey further called for accountability on monies the country received from the World Bank to support it covid-19 response last year in the wake of the pandemic.
“Aside everything, there is a problem with accountability on our covid-19 support. We need some clarity and accountability on how the monies were disbursed,” he added.
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