<<Print>>

How can you account for e-levy if you can’t account for Covid-19 funds? The National Organizer of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Yaw Asani Tanoh is asking the ruling Akufo-Addo-led administration.

His question follows reports that the government has given conflicting figures on Covid-19 expenditure.

A Ranking Member, Finance Committee in Parliament, and former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has called on the Auditor General (AG) to audit government's Covid-19 expenditure following some conflicting figures.

“In the recent State of the Nation’s Address by his Excellency the President, he is also quoting a different number of 18 point something billion . . . The Minister responsible for Finance has appeared before Parliament and has said to us that they spent GH₵17.1 billion...So, in one breath, the Vice President is quoting 18.1, the Finance Minister is quoting 17.1, the President is also quoting a different figure. So, we are having three numbers being bundled around. Who is telling the people of Ghana the truth”? he questioned.

He further stressed that, "the only way we can get to the bottom of this matter is for us to sit as a country and audit that Covid-19 expenditure. We have three different numbers, all of us don’t know how much we spent and no ministry . . . There is the need to audit these numbers for us as a country to come to an understanding on how much we spent on Covid-19”.

Asani Tanoh speaking to this welcomed the probe but questioned government's commitment and willingness to account to Ghanaians if they can't get figures on Covid-19 expenditure right.

Contributing to a panel discussion on UTV's 'Adekye Nsroma' programme, Tuesday, he said: "The Finance Minister first put out his figures followed by the President, and look at the difference in figures; so big . . . the biggest is the figures from the Head of the Economic Management Team (Bawumia) . . . where did he get the 18.1bn from? These are the questions we should be asking".

Adding, "If we can't account for COVID-19 funds how can we do same for e-levy? There are people in this government who want to manipulate the system to their advantage . . . with all these figures that we're receiving, the government is telling us that their incompetence level has risen up to the crescendo . . ."

Meanwhile, Asani Tanoh is wondering why no one has "come out to clarify and give the right figures . . . so how can we trust this government".