Member of Parliament for the Efutu, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has hinted that the Akufo-Addo administration will soon introduce a new system of taxation to sustain its free SHS policy.
According to him, the specific tax is geared towards ensuring that there is quality education in the country.
He said this during Tuesday's edition of Kokrokoo on Peace FM.
It would be recalled that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, while presenting the 2018 budget statement to Parliament in November, said government is in the process of setting up a fund to receive voluntary contributions from individuals to support the implementation of its flagship Free Senior High School programme, and the education sector as a whole.
The move has been criticized mostly by members of the minority who say it has exposed government’s inability to secure the needed funding to sustain the programme.
The NPP MP, who in his submission appeared to re-echo the Finance Minister's comments on funding for the programme, albeit in a different light, believed if Ghanaians exhibit the same kind of nationalistic spirit and attitude by embracing taxes on free SHS, the programme can last a life time.
“How did we fund health insurance? How did we fund the Youth Employment Agency Bill?” he rhetorically asked and further explained that the erstwhile Kufour government successfully rolled out and maintained policies like the health insurance scheme by implementing a tax regime which was widely supported by Ghanaians.
“If Ghanaians are paying tax to sustain free SHS, it won’t be farfetched. It will help all of us…There’s a difference between nuisance tax and specific tax for specific purpose that we all know that these are the benefits. Do you think Ghanaians will oppose a free SHS tax where we will set up an implementation Committee to oversee to the transparent disbursement of these funds?” he added.
Also contributing to discussion on the issue on Kokrokoo was the National Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Samuel Ofosu Ampofo who expressed varied views.
To him, the Mahama-NDC government's idea of progressive free education would have been the best solution to establish the programme.
He wondered why there should be "a tax imposition on Ghanaians to fund a project" that government claimed was fully prepared to roll out.
"....i support the free SHS policy, but i want the government to put right the measures in place to address challenges associated with implementation of the policy," he added.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Good idea but I object it for some apparent reasons. No amount of words can dissuade me.
so all we can do as a people is see everything along party lines.even when you were lied to and told the money will come from the oil, we still are thinking ndc npp. politicians will forever consider us as cheap people with no brains to think for ourselves. all they have to do is to say, the party is doing this or that,that is all. then their supporters follow blindly.lets start telling them in the face when they lie to us. that is the only way they will RESPECT the voter. kowtowing to everything they tell us is a no brainer
DOUBLE STANDARD, you collect my tax to pay my ward and other students fees . i can decern. this is not free. my tax was collected and pay for my child's fees. i believe woyome money, akomfem money, SAVINGS FROM inflated RIDGE, KASOA INTERCHANGE AND PRUDENT ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT WILL BE USED TO FUND FREE SHS.
i would be a dummy to believe a politician. Pls try and collect Woyome money to fund this thing. ah. i beg
good idea but i know the nation wreckers supporters (NDC) would kick against it because the tax would sustain it more and frustrate their ev1l agenda against the youth of this nation. it is better than create, luut and share by these cr1minal NDC, we are all for free shs
Every concerned will embrace this idea, because if I am in Accra buys Milk and pay tax on it which will cater for poor person (poor peasant farmer) in the hinterland child in school it is a GOOD IDEA. People want the programme to collapse and that they will say WE TOLD YOU SO. And that it will afford them (RICH PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY) alone to send their Children to Secondary School. The more majority of Illiterates in the country, the more they will ACCEPT any propaganda told them. So if all Ghanaians are catering for our children in School it is good. Where did the SADA, ISOFOTON, GUINEA FOWL, GEEDA, CP, WATERVILLE etc. monies went to? These people do not want poor child to be ducated.
It's always been talk talk . Ghanaians are doomed with this programme. It will eventually become an avenue for corrupt officials to syphon our money. Are you serious? Another tax? Ghanaians will embrace what? Just say, we will impose it upon them. We lack leaders. They never think through the things they promise. The agenda is always to wild promises. May God have mercy on all of us. How pathetic.
So all the shots about Ghana had money during their campaign meant Ghanaians would be burdened with tax to fund their collapsing free SHS? AMAZING THE WAY NPP ARE LIAARS.
So it is now no more free eeh
the only problem of these ndc ple with this free shs is that it will make it difficult for them to st>eal money if they manage to ste>al their way back to power. they will not be able to sustain the policy so they want it to collapse now. but the good news for them is that they will not becoming to power anymore, so they shd stop drinking panadol for another person headache. someone shd help me tell them.