Government, citizens and taxation (taxes). When little amounts are managed properly, efficiently and judiciously, less taxes will be required.
In this regard, eliminating corruption will do the trick. More punitive taxes won’t… mansa musa writes ✍️
Many many column inches have been written and also spoken about this subject and so my addition is just like tax nominal figure, very small on the surface but deep down, turns to be very impactful.
I, mansa musa just like everyone will claim in public to support taxation or wouldn’t mind to pay more taxes if only the revenues acrude will be used wisely and positively. But deep down, nobody on this beautiful ball of rock called Earth, want to be taxed.
As stated earlier, tax accounting is boring in all respects except to the collector. So as promised, unlike governments, I will keep it very short or maybe not. The latest tax item announced by the new ndc government may have the absolute necessity factors and attributes attached but to put it bluntly, this new tax announcement has gone down like a lead balloon. The other time, mansa musa wrote and reiterated that apart from the finance ministry, the next in oder of importance and in terms of difficulty as far as Ghana and most third world countries are concerned is the energy provision albatross.
[In time, a board, the like of Goldbod be set up to manage our oil sector. A suggestion for the future]
Ghana’s energy sector is beset and besieged with overwhelming management crisis. A mismanagement the type deliberately designed to make money for few people in charge, leaving an incongruous caravan of debts for sector stakeholders and owners, we the citizens. And for this, politicians, who come with a blaze of ear-busting good promises and plans will soon find themselves acquiesced to the pattern of foul play. They will join the corruption gravy train to milk the system as much as they possibly can and even more.
Otherwise, otherwise someone should tell us why upon the milliard of taxes and levies imposed by various regimes there hasn’t been any measure of positive impact or improvement in the energy/power sector. Many taxes conjured by sector players in attempts to address the many shortfalls has not yielded much results. The frustration of many citizens now isn’t with this particular new petroleum levy per say.
Ghanaians know that for the energy sector to survive and improve, huge sums of moneys will be needed to provide a sound and reliable running of the energy/electricity industry, the guaranteed basis for domestic and industrial upkeep of electricity the will keep lights on . The ability of providing constant/permanent flow electricity is absolute paramount. Our frustration and pure anger at this new tax element is bourn in the knowledge that the present management setup with culturalised and formalised impunity of failure that can be likened to fetching water with rafia or cane-woven basket syndrome. A ridiculous phenomena which the current political heads are failing to address or not showing the ability to address and to overcome.
Why are the gapping holes the water-carrying vessels not being plugged. Where are the watertight, airtight practical policies and regulations, the new conditions for effective running the industry. This new political administrators are supposed or expected to be more cleverer and determined. But without a clear and transparent demonstration of a will to clean the swampy swaps in the electricity, power industry, the government run the risk of losing the trust and support of overburdened Ghanaians. That, really will be a shame.
Sadly, this new government too is also continuing with the same old, same old tactics of squeezing moneys from overtaxed citizens then pouring those revenues into an abyss. Instead of cutting waste and blocking corrupt practices. This is not right. This is painful for Ghanaians. Our question is, what is the mahama led administration doing to mitigate the one big negative phenomena that continues to destroy almost every institution in the country, CORRUPTION.
Before we, Ghanaians are pressured into paying more for the mediocre and unsatisfactory services, shouldn’t the sector management structures be cleaned out of the very people who have up to date run the industry aground. Why are we being forced to throw more money into a bottomless pit, all the while with little or no accountability in the system. This is the problem. This is the cause of anger and dismay to this new energy levy.
In order for the minister, to maintain and maybe consolidate Ghanaians’ trust and support in the wake of the recent election, he should with immediate effect reveal to Ghanaians measures at hand to control and even eliminate corrupt practices and activities. Mr. Minister, please tell us, because we the ordinary people know that 90% of problems within your sector is as a result of deliberate mismanagement acts for self-enrichment of individuals at the expense of everyone else.
The whole system, we know has been deliberately compromised for personal gains. We need to know who has done what within the ECG enclave that may have brought the system its current retched state. And what accountability demands have been placed on people found culpable. Not too much to ask. Mr. Minister, you need a wise and a quick move on this matter and Ghanaians will go along with you.
