President Akufo-Addo has called an emergency Cabinet meeting ahead of the presentation of the 2018 mid-year review budget in Parliament on Thursday.
Sources say the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta and members of the Economic Management Team are expected to brief the President on the introduction of new taxes at the meeting which will be held today.
Citi News understands that the President will ask for the suspension of some of the proposed taxes.The Akufo-Addo administration’s resolve to move away from taxation is expected to be tested during the presentation of the mid-year budget review on Thursday.
Ahead of the reading, there have been suggestions that there may be an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) and National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), in the mid-year budget review.
This was after a report by a pro-government newspaper, The New Statesman, suggested that government may announce an increase in the VAT and the National Insurance Levy in the mid-year budget review.
The report suggested that VAT and NHIL may be increased from 17.5 percent to 21.5 percent.
But the government has tried to allay such fears.
The MP for Ledzokuku, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye assured that the government would not increase the existing VAT rate
He said the government is only devising measures to raise revenue in a manner that will not negatively affect businesses and individuals.
A Deputy Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah was also hopeful that Ghanaians would rally behind any plans to raise more revenue to fund its projects.
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