General News of Thursday, 22 February 2018

Source: Kwabena Danso-Dapaah

Church now business venture in Ghana - Odike

Leader United Progressive Party, Akwasi Addai Odike Leader United Progressive Party, Akwasi Addai Odike

The founder and leader United Progressive Party (UPP), Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike wants government to regulate establishment of church in the country to avoid pastors and church leaders from extorting monies from members

"There should be modalities for church establishment in the country to avoid many corruption among Christians", he suggested.

"There should be a law to guide church those who want to establish churches as their businesses", he admonished government.

"They should have at least hundred members from each district and region to start a church. ...It will kill their one-man-business", the Chief Executive Officer Odike Ventures pointed out.

According to him, churches in Ghana have become business entities operating for profits and the government should see them as such.

"They have schools, buses, canopies and everything for rentals ...this is a pure business like what every private man in the country is doing", Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike pointed out.

"Don't we pay fees for the schools they have established for our children to attend?", Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike quizzed on Kumasi-based Nhyira FM's morning show.

"The government must take taxes from all the businesses they are doing for developmental projects in the country", he added.

Meanwhile, the founder and leader of Perez Chapel, Bishop Charles Agyinasare has attacked suggestions that churches in Ghana must be taxed like other business entities in the world

“Other people say things about churches they don’t understand. I hear them talk about taxing churches…how many churches in
Ghana are big?” Bishop Charles Agyinasare quizzed.

“There are churches where the
pastors cannot even make ends meet”, the man of God revealed to Nana Aba Anamoah, host of GHOne State of Affairs show during a one-on-one interview.