The National Democratic Congress (NDC), has commended its 137 Members of Parliament for their show of patriotism during the passage of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government for the year 2024.

Parliament on Friday voted on the motion to approve the principles of the 2024 Budget Statement. This was after the NPP Majority side had initially fled from their own budget approval when the motion was first tabled for a vote by the Rt. Speaker, Alban Sumana Bagbin.

At the end of yesterday’s headcount, the budget was passed by a decision of 138 to 136 in favour of the NPP Majority side of the House.

Throughout weeks of rigourous debate on the 2024 budget, members of the NDC Minority, took turns to demonstrate, sector by sector that the 2024 Budget does not have the interest of the people of Ghana at heart.

According to the NDC, having already imposed over twenty (20) taxes on Ghanaians since 2017 despite their promise to move the country from taxation to production while in opposition, the insensitive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has once again introduced a raft of draconian tax measures in the 2024 budget worth GHS11 billion.

These include the imposition of VAT on a range of items such as textbooks, exercise books and stationery, non-life insurance, domestic travels, domestic transportation of passengers by road, rail and water as well as an increase in tax stamp duty, among others.

The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government is further introducing excise duty of GHS100 per annum on all petrol and diesel vehicles. This regressive tax will apply to all category of vehicles regardless of whether one drives a V8 engine, articulator, taxi or an uber.

Industries are equally not sparred as excise duty of GHS100 per tonne of carbon dioxide emission is being imposed on them.

A statement signed by the NDC National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi said “The NDC applauds all members of the Minority Caucus for not lending support to the imposition of these draconian taxes which will further exacerbate the excruciating hardship Ghanaians are already reeling under.

“This 2024 “Bye Bye” budget signals the end of the road for the failed Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government which has completely lost touch with the reality of Ghanaians.”

It added: “Ghanaians must brace themselves for more hardships next year, all as a result of the belligerence and insensitivity of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, ably supported by the 138 NPP Members of Parliament who have against good conscience, approved the 2024 killer budget.”

The NDC, however, assured the Ghanaian public, that it stands ready to rescue the country from its current state of hopelessness come 2024, under the able-leadership of the visionary and trustworthy Nation Builder, H.E John Dramani Mahama.