To have expected the minority in Parliament and for that matter the NDC to react contrary to the show they put up after the presentation of the 2022 budget statement would have been anticipating something surreal and unusual.
They lived up to their billing: noisy, mischievous, throwing dust into the eyes of the gullible  and never finding anything good in a budget not initiated by their clueless grouping. Under the circumstances we wonder how they would have drafted a better post-pandemic budget that would stand the test of financial wisdom.
A country reeling from the worldwide fallouts of the COVID-19 could not have had a better budget than was presented to the nation last Wednesday.
There were no layoffs and the free SHS project continued to stay afloat even as the yearly entrants continue to grow.
What we should be talking about in this country today is how to ensure that people pay to the state what is due it.
The number of business entities and individuals who should pay their dues to the state through taxation but not doing so, is exponential. This continues to impact negatively on the revenue collection efforts of the relevant state agencies. And to think that those evading this responsibility continue to do business in a country in which they are citizens is mind-boggling.
The lion share contribution to the national revenue by the Greater Accra Region, 90%, and the fact that there is wanton abuse of the tax exemption regime spelt out by government to cushion the challenges of industry actors is a negative reflection of the state of revenue generation in the country and the mindset of some of our compatriots.
It takes ingenuity to manouvre around the challenges posed by the limited revenue sources available to the state through direct taxation even as government seeks to ensure that citizens do not suffer unduly from the pressure of novel tax demands.
It is regrettable therefore, that in spite of the realities of the times opposition elements would prefer to spread misinformation and outright spiteful propaganda in a bid to make government appear wicked and uncaring.
A country suffering infrastructure deficit even as she scraps road tolls must look elsewhere for alternative revenue sources.
Only a properly managed indirect taxation in a manner which cannot be evaded can lead to the goal of reaping sufficient revenue for our development agenda.
Government should continue exploring effective means of widening the tax net which is woefully narrow in its current state.
Our mindset of previous times, when funds meant for specific infrastructural agenda were diverted appears to be playing on the minds of cynics who are refusing to be convinced about the sense in the decisions taken in the budget under review. It is part of the nuances of championing the cause of a development agenda.
The dualisation agenda is ongoing as is the railway rejuvenation agenda capital intensive projects which are verifiable and whose funds must be generated both domestically and through extensive investments. Today the asphalting of roads is commonplace.
It is our take that driving the entrepreneurial project as contained in the relevant contents of the budget would provide the necessary impetus for self-employment and reduce the burden of employment on government.
With our digitization programme in full flight we must provide the necessary infrastructure thereof to meet the emerging challenges such frauds and other criminal activities. What better response can be initiated than raise funds for these capital intensive projects through the e-Levy with the finesse that would mitigate the pain of tax novelties.