John Kumah
Deputy Minister of Finance, and Member of Parliament for Ejisu, Dr. John A. Kumah has debunked media reports making rounds that Ghana lost close to GHC 12 billion in the 2020 Audit Service Report.
According to him, the said information is false, adding that the facts as presented by the Auditor General’s report were the losses due to irregularities from 2016 to 2020 financial year and not amount losses in 2020 alone.
Dr. Kumah explains that in 2016, the irregularities reported were GHC 2 billion, in 2017 GHC 892 million, in 2018 GHC 5 billion, in 2019 GHC 3 billion, and 2020 GHC 2 billion.
Giving a breakdown of the figures, he noted that out of the 2018 GHC5billion losses, about GHC4.7 million are tax irregularities from companies, individuals, business entities, and individuals who have failed to pay their taxes after assessment by GRA.
“All these people are being chased to pay their taxes”.
“More than GHC 1 billion are loans advanced to public sector workers, some of whom have taken steps to pay their indebtedness to the state.
In the same vein about GHC 29 million of the amount is also to be paid to the state by government workers as part of the rent irregularities recorded. Steps have already been taken to recover much of these claims back to the state” the Ejisu MP stated.
Explaining the issue on Angel Tv, he noted that “a critical analysis of the report will show that steps are being taken to retrieve the losses of which some have been paid into the state coffers and not that the state has completely lost the said amount”.
Dr. Kumah noted that “Ghana further needs the E levy to raise additional revenues to meet budget expenditures in 2022, in areas of Youth employment and job creation with the announcement of the GHC10 billion You start the program, aggressive Roads infrastructure, and reduced borrowing”.
He however appeals to Ghanaians to rally behind the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia Government to succeed.
BY Daniel Bampoe