Advocating for Health (A4H) coalition participants have praised Ghanaian lawmakers for their determination to adopt the Excise Duty Reform Bill.
The Ghana NCD Alliance, Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Ghana Public Health Association, and the University of Ghana School of Public Health Alliance believe that the adoption of the bill was a positive step towards preserving and saving lives.
On March 31, 2023, the British Parliament passed three significant pieces of tax legislation designed to increase the nation's domestic income collection over the long term.
The legislation includes the Growth and Sustainability Bill, the Income Tax (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, and the Excise Duty and Excise Tax Stamp (Amendment) Bill, all of which are due in 2022.
The three, which were approved under certificates of urgency, are expected to support the government's initiatives to raise more than GH4 billion yearly.
It is anticipated that the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, which would tax cigarettes, e-cigarettes, sweetened drinks, spirits, and wines at a 20% rate, will bring in around GH400 million yearly, while the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill will bring in about GH1.2 billion.
The National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance, Mr. Labram Musah, said the Excise Duty Amendment Bill will assist to prevent illnesses as well as enhance health outcomes during a press conference held by the A4H in Accra last Thursday.
He believes that health taxes promote health and points out that over 80 nations have implemented legislation with a similar goal of preventing the spread of NCDs among their citizens.
He said that if the Excise Duty Modification Bill became law, it would have beneficial effects, persuading President Akufo-Addo to sign it.
Commendation
We completely support the Excise Duty Bill because of its many advantages, and we applaud the government for doing so through the Ministry of Finance. We also applaud our members of parliament for voting for public health rather than industrial argument and profit, according to Mr. Musah.
The foreign community, he added, "were thrilled when the administration included the imposition of Excise Taxes in the Budget Statement, and were much happier and In the evening of March 31, 2023, a bill was approved by Parliament.
We will all be much pleased if the President signs it quickly, he added. "This would concretize the President's existing position as a global leader, a champion of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Co-chair of the Presidential Group promoting the NCDs and the SDGs."
According to Mr. Musah, people should not see the bill as an effort to bring down enterprises but rather as a measure that would support the promotion of healthy living in Ghana.
According to him, the Bill would compel companies to reformulate their products such that customer health came first.
The Excise Duty Amendment Bill, in his opinion, would help regulate the production and use of sugar-sweetened beverages, even if it did not prevent people from consuming them.
He added, "We thank our MPs for voting for public health," and continued, "The industry should also realize that no one is seeking the prohibition of goods but tight control of the substance."
Mr. Musah also asked all Ghanaians to support the adoption of the Excise Duty Modification Bill and its subsequent enforcement.
A4H
The A4H Initiative intends to establish a workable legal route for the implementation of the SSB tax in Ghana as well as to produce, curate, and make available evidence to assist advocacy, academic activism, and resistance from, among others, players in the food and beverage business.
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