Minority walk out of Parliament over increase in VAT threshold
The Minority MPs in Parliament have walked out of Friday’s sitting over moves by government to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) threshold from a current 12.5 percent to 15 percent.
Minority MPs are outraged that the motion for the increase was not seconded but taken by the First Deputy Speaker as having been passed. Minority MPs have since walked out!
Citi FM’s Parliamentary Correspondent, Richard Sky says the Majority side shouted “away! away!” as opposition MPs stormed out of the House!
Richard Sky noted that “ the allegations from the Minority side is that when the Deputy Minister moved the motion, there was no member from the other side who supported or seconded the motion for it to have been put to a vote but somehow the first deputy speaker of parliament, Hon. Barton Oduro put the motion to a vote and it was carried.”
According to Richard Dela Sky, “the minority’s position was that if you look at the provisions of the constitution and media policy decision as increasing the tax rate as far as VAT is concerned, what would have widely been debated among the public in Ghana and in parliament before the increase was done ,but that did not happen again.They called what happened in parliament disgraceful”
Addressing a press conference after proceedings in parliament, the Member of Parliament for the Sekondi constituency, Paapa Owusu Ankomah and then the Minority leader, said the move was symbolic of stone-age politics which had been introduced via nocturnal means by the government in power.
“ I must say that the bill in question has been passed and we expect that the president of the Republic will file it into law before it defectively moves to become law,”Mr. Owusu Ankomah added.
