Aspiring Ashanti Regional Chairman for the main opposition National Democratic Congress, Joseph Yammin says traders at the Kumasi Kejetia market have regretted voting for President Akufo Addo.
According to Yammin, the traders have been suffering silently under the huge taxes ‘imposed’ on them by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly since the Akufo Addo government assumed the mantle of governance.
Joseph Yammin was speaking to abusuafmonline.com after a familariasation visit to the market to interact with the market women there.
Yammin said, “it’s obvious that the current government simply don’t have an antidote to the financial challenges facing the country now.”
“Their inability to meet the revenue target has resulted in higher taxes been imposed on Ghanaian traders despite all the promises not to increase taxes,” he observed.
He adds, “their hundred and ten (110) ministers with each one taking Ghc 15,000 a month has worsened the situation for the government.”
“I hope you will recall that the entire four years of the Mahama led administration spent Ghc 1.3 billion, but this year alone budget allocation to this Nana Addo’s presidency is Ghc 1.5 billion for just this year’s expenditure, all these reckless spending has resulted in this mess we found ourselves into as a Nation.”
“The new group of people to suffer from the agony of this Nana Addo government is Kejetia market women, the other day, KMA officials stormed the Kumasi Central market locking up over 130 stores and insisting that they pay the new high taxes introduced by this government before their shops will be opened.”
“On Friday too, these KMA men stormed Santasi Fankyenebra and locked up 63 shops at dawn with their own padlocks asking them to pay these high taxes by the government who promised never to increase taxes whiles in opposition,” the former Deputy Sports Minister revealed.
Yammin stressed, “the ordinary street hawker was also not left out by this insensitive government, they have increase their daily ticket by 100% such that those who were paying Ghc1 daily are to pay Ghc2 and this resulted in a heated argument between KMA officials and the traders with some of the women been beaten by the task force men.”