Minority, Majority crunch meeting on 2022 Budget ends in stalemate

The crunch meeting between the two sides in Parliament was to find common ground on the 2022 Budget

A crunch meeting on the 2022 Budget Statement between the Minority and Majority in Parliament and a group of government officials has ended in a stalemate.

Sources say the Minority is likely to boycott the sitting of Parliament today (30 November) following the impasse.

However, Parliament is expected to start proceedings at 3.30pm.

The leadership of the Minority group in Parliament was in a crunch meeting with some government officials and the Majority leadership in Parliament with the hope to come to some understanding on the way forward for the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of government.

Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority leader, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, the Minority Chief Whip, Cassiel Ato Forson, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, and John Jinapor, Ranking Member of the Mines and Energy Committee, are members of the minority side who were in the said meeting.

Also in the meeting was Kofi Antoh from the Speaker’s office.

Those at the meeting on the side of the Majority and Government include the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, John Boadu, NPP General Secretary, Charles Adu-Boahen, Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Kwaku Kwarteng, Chairman of the Finance Committee, and Deputy Chief of Staff at the office of the President, Adumuah Bossman.

The meeting started after 8 am Tuesday and was suspended at 11 am for further consultation among the two sides, resuming after an hour.

Whiles details are sketchy; the meeting appeared to connote a willingness on both sides to resolve the impasse over the 2022 Budget.

Meanwhile, a source close to the discussions insists that news making the rounds that the E-Levy rate will be reduced alongside the possibility of raising the GHS100 threshold are false.

“These are matters which can be appropriately thrashed out and possibly agreed on at the Appropriation stages,” the source added.

The Finance Minister had wanted to discuss the concerns of the Minority before Friday’s purported vote but that request was rejected by the Minority after the Majority walked out not long after the question was put to the House.

The critical issue today, which observers suspect may be difficult to reach a consensus on is the decision by the Majority to nullify the purported rejection of the 2022 Budget last Friday.

“Any other issue about tinkering with numbers may only be on the table after we cross this bridge,” a source close to the meeting said.

source: asaaseradio