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A critical review of the Ghanaian economy in 2013 shows that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led government borrowed as much as 1.2 billion Ghana cedis each month from the domestic market to support the economy. This, according to the New Patriotic Party, means the government borrowed a staggering GH�14.4 billion from the local Banks within the period. The decision has also increased Ghana�s total debt from US$8billion in 2008 to the current US$23 billion. �The result is that in the fiscal year 2013 alone, payment of interest on our debt amounted to over GH�4.4 billion, more than the amount spent on District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), GETFUND and NHIS put together. Is this the manifestation of the better Ghana agenda?� Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, the Minority spokesman on finance said at a public forum in Accra yesterday. The forum was organized by the party to address some pertinent issues and to evaluate the 2013 fiscal year under President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC. According to Akoto Osei, the borrowing spree of the government would definitely have a rippling effect on the masses, since they would have to endure the pain of high interest rates, in addition to competing with the government for loans at the domestic market. To him the Mahama-led government performed abysmally resulting in the decline of the economy during the 2013 fiscal year, and cited many instances to buttress his claim. He said the country�s currency, the Cedi, during the period under review suffered at the hands of its major trading currencies and depreciated by 24%. Ghana, during the same period, also witnessed its credit rating being downgraded by three major credit agencies; Fitch, Moody�s and Standard and Poors. Compounding the situation, the Old Tafo legislator noted, was the introduction of new taxes, especially on condoms, cutlasses, fishing nets and wellington boots, in an attempt to shore up the fiscal deficit situation of the country. �In any case, notwithstanding all these efforts to impose additional taxes on Ghanaians, the fiscal deficit for 2013 is still very high, projected at 10.2 % of GDP, but likely to exceed 11 % of GDP, when the final figures are in. In 2013 simply put Government lived beyond it means by an additional GH�9 billion cedis,� he said. He said the over expenditure did not do the country any good since the �average Ghanaian found life very, very difficult� to contend with. He advised Ghanaians to brace themselves up for tougher times since 2014 would not be exceptionally good, as opined by the President in his recent interaction with editors and senior journalists at the Flagstaff House. According to Dr. Akoto Osei, the recent increase in utility tariffs and the Value Added Tax (VAT) which became effective last week, coupled with the signal of the automatic adjustment formula for petroleum products this year, should be a clear indication that �2014 will not be rosy.�