Minority not enthused about mid-year budget review

The Minority in Parliament has trifled with a scheduled presentation of the mid-year budget review today by the Minister of Finance.

According to the Minority, the review will not offer anything new to Ghanaians. “Some of the revenue measures have not kicked in, for example, the VAT on financial services,” Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, said on TV3 on Tuesday, July 15.

“So what is it that [Mr Seth Terkper] is going to tell us?” Dr Akoto Osei asks. Minister of Finance Terkper is also expected to present a supplementary budget for 2014 but according to Old Tafo Constituency Member that comes too late as the House is scheduled to rise on Friday, July 18.

“Parliament will be doing itself a disservice if it takes two days to look at it and try to pass it,” Dr Akoto Osei warned.

“Maybe, we will have to come back in an emergency to look at it,” he said.

Dr Akoto Osei insisted most of them are in the dark as to what exactly the Minister will present because “we have been saying this since January of the year and we haven’t seen anything being done”.

He suggested that government should be open with Ghanaians by letting the entire country know the challenges with the economy.

“Once we know, we must be able to make suggestions.”