General News of Thursday, 13 June 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Presidents should pay taxes - Constitutional Review Consultative Committee

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Dramani Mahama President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Dramani Mahama

The Constitutional Review Consultative Committee has recommended that Article 68 (5), which exempts the president from the payment of income tax, should be amended.

The Committee suggests that the president should pay taxes on his salary and emoluments as an example to the rest of the citizenry.

This change would also reflect the principle of equality before the law and align with the rule of law, it added.

The Committee also proposes that Article 68 (5) be deleted to mandate the president of the country to pay taxes.

Amending this provision will necessitate the necessary consequential amendments in the country's income tax law.

Chaired by Clare Kasser-Tee, the committee was established by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, to review the 2011 report of the Constitution Review Commission.

The committee's mandate includes reviewing submissions, proposals, and reports from various constitutional review platforms such as the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), University of Ghana Law School, University of Professional Studies (UPSA), and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

Additionally, the committee is tasked with making recommendations to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and its partners and collaborators, including the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Africa Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Institute of Democratic and Economic Governance (IDEG), and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), among others.

These recommendations were presented to the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, on June 13, 2024, for preliminary suggestions or firm resolve for the review of the 1992 Constitution.

NAY/AE

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