By Iddi Yire

Accra, Jan 14, GNA – The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has congratulated President John Dramani Mahama on his decisive victory in the 2024 general election, which shows Ghanaians believed in him.

Most Rev Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, Vice President, Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, who led a Delegation of the Conference to pay a courtesy call on the President in Accra, urged him to focus on dealing with post-election violence.

He informed the President that from 10th -15th March, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference would be holding an education review forum; saying “so it’s not as though we are competing with your National Education Conference, but our focus is to imbibe in our children a sense of nationalism and mortality”.

“We plead that your government takes a serious look at galamsey and curb it,” he stated.

Touching on the issue of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Bill, Bishop Fianu expressed the hope that President Mahama would look at it; declaring that “We already know your position, but we are hopeful that you will sign it into law.”

Regarding expatriate resident fees, Bishop Fianu said: “We plead that if the amount paid is waived completely, (or) it is reduced, because the missionaries are paying too much”.

He assured the President that they were available to share ideas with him and that their doors were always opened.

Concerning the Bawku Conflict, Bishop Fianu said the Bishops were hoping that President Mahama’s Government would deal with the conflict.

On his part, President Mahama thanked the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference for the intercessory prayers they had always been saying for Ghana and the election.

He also thanked the Catholic Church for speaking out on issues, adding that it had proven that its voice could not be suppressed.

He said their contribution to society was a partnership the Government treasured, citing their remarkable investment in education and health.

“There are proposals as to how we can engage you on managing your schools as well as how we can tweak the curriculum to include values of morality, courtesy for boys and girls, patriotism,” the President said.

He noted that the Government would be inviting the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference to partake in the National Education Conference.

Responding to the request on resident permit for missionaries, the President said the Government would look at it.

Touching on the issue of LGBTQ, the President said: “The Bill died with the Eighth Parliament, but I think we need to have a conversation on that. But I think it should not be a Private Member’s Bill, but a government sponsored.”

Concerning the Bawku Conflict, President Mahama said: “I am going to Bawku tomorrow to see how we can commence another mediation exercise to find lasting peace in Bawku. I will call on the Bawku Naana and the Yaayiri.”

GNA

Dr. Gideon Boako is the MP of Tano North

The Member of Parliament of Tano North, Dr. Gideon Boako, is cautioning the John Dramani Mahama government against introducing alternative taxes in disguise following their promise to scrap the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) and the Betting Tax.

Speaking to the media on Monday, January 13, following the vetting of Minister of Finance-designate, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Dr. Boako emphasised the potential implications of such a policy shift.

During his vetting, Dr. Ato Forson stated that the Mahama administration plans to abolish the E-Levy and Betting Tax in its first budget.

However, Dr. Boako criticised the approach, stating that it could result in significant revenue shortfalls that the government would struggle to address.

He argued that such shortfalls would conflict with the requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which demands robust revenue generation to meet debt servicing obligations.

“I think by and large, he [Ato Forson] has done his part, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. For instance, he was asked how he plans to make up for the revenue shortfalls from scrapping the taxes, and he said he would cut expenditure. However, cutting expenditure does not address the problem because the IMF focuses on debt service to revenue ratio, not debt service to expenditure ratio,” he stated, a report by myjoyonline.com has said.

Dr. Boako further explained that while expenditure cuts might offer temporary reliefs, they do not resolve the fundamental issue of generating enough revenue to match debt servicing obligations.

He warned that the IMF would ultimately insist on finding new sources of revenue, which could lead to the introduction of additional taxes.

“We don’t want a situation where you give with the right hand and take with the left hand,” he remarked, urging policymakers to consider the long-term impact of their decisions.

The Tano North MP also called for a more comprehensive approach to addressing Ghana’s fiscal challenges.

He cautioned against creating false hopes by abolishing taxes, only to replace them with alternative levies, urging the government to be transparent and pragmatic in managing the country’s revenue needs.

Meanwhile, watch Ato Forson speak about abolishing the the above taxes, below:

AE