Several trade unions have been protesting since Ghana's parliament approved various levies.
It is anticipated that the three bills—the Excise Duty Amendment Bill of 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill of 2022, and the Income Tax Amendment Bill of 2022—will earn around GHC4 billion a year.
Nevertheless, several trade associations, such as the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), have expressed concern about the impact of these levies on companies. According to GUTA, the economy is already struggling due to high tariffs.
In response, Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, stated that Ghanaian businessmen are over-exploiting customers while addressing concerns raised by some of these organizations over the approval of the levies.
Traders continue to overprice their goods and services to increase their profits at the expense of customers and purchasers, claims Joe Wise, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Bekwai.
He said these things;
"GUTA needs to treat this nation fairly. They always talk about taxes, yet they over-exploit Ghanaians, and I say this fearlessly. These tiles, which are among the finest available, are from China and were purchased by me.
"But I only purchased a small portion of what they (GUTA) are selling on the market, even in China's worst provinces. In addition, I paid import fees. They are dishonest; they understate and inflate prices to obtain enormous profits from any good.
"If GUTA were to pay the appropriate taxes on imported goods, this should be reflected in the amount of revenue we produce." Every year, the government has a budget deficit and must borrow money to cover the shortfall. The fact is that our country as a whole does not pay enough taxes.
Although they pay more taxes than we do, 90% of the nations in West Africa cannot compete with Ghana in terms of infrastructure and development. "And yet, the educated members of GUTA frequently complain about taxes," he said to Kwesi Parker-Wilson, host of the morning show on Oyerepa TV.
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