A member of the Communication Team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwamena Duncan has criticized President John Dramani Mahama for showing off in tax payment when there is nothing to show for it.
According to him, it would have been in the right direction if those taxes that are being paid are used for the development of the country; �however, that is not the case and so his call for others to also emulate his act and be prompt in paying their taxes is needless�.
President John Mahama on Monday filed his 2012 Tax returns at the Domestic Tax Revenue Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The President after filing his returns spoke to the media and admonished Ghanaians to regularly pay their taxes in order to enhance the development of the nation.
�Revenue is what gives us the good things that we want. The roads don�t appear magically from heaven. It�s because of the taxes that we pay that we are able to raise the revenue to fix the roads and so I thought that in coming here and paying my taxes personally - everybody will know that even the President is not totally exempted from taxes�, he said
Speaking as a panelist on Peace FM�s morning show �Kokrokoo� Kwamena Duncan said there was no need for the President to call on Ghanaians to also pay taxes because at the end of the day, it enters into the pockets of individuals and not channeled into national development as he claims.
�If he claims to be a symbolic gesture, and it was to serve as a lesson, what dividend has been yielded from the taxes that we have paid so far? Is it going into the pockets of individuals or for national development? What he did is needless. President Mahama, you are getting it wrong. Granted that people don�t pay taxes, how do you protect the little that have been paying and even utilize it?�
Mahama Must Be Commended
However, speaking on the same platform, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Adenta constituency, Kojo Adu-Asare feels the President should rather be commended for making such a move and called on Ghanaians to do same.
According to him, the President as a leader just wants to inculcate in people the habit of tax payment, adding, �I don�t see anything wrong with that�.
�It is not just showmanship; as for me I think we should learn a lesson from it instead of reading political meaning into it. I don�t see why this should be criticized�There is a lot we can do for the nation and that is the call of the President at this point in time. Let�s not trivialize the issue and make it look like he just wanted to show off. This clarion call should not be looked at in a negative way. It has a bigger implication if we can make good use of it�, he admonished.
Source: Rebecca Addo-Tetteh/peacefmonline.com
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