Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister, has denied allegations that he has been reckless in the fiscal management of the economy.
In his capacity as Finance Minister, he claims to have followed all regulations.
Rising interest payments and debt levels have harmed the country’s economy, as has rising inflation and the cedi’s rapid depreciation.
Both the Minority and Majority caucuses in Parliament have called for his resignation as a result of this.
In his address to the Adhoc Committee of Parliament hearing the censure motion brought against him, Mr. Ofori-Atta stated that his efforts, despite global economic pressures, have been to protect the public purse.
“Hon Co-Chairs, the ground of recklessness presupposes that I have not been guided by the laid-down regulations. I want to state that I have not been reckless in the management of the fiscal operations of the government.
“Rather, our strenuous efforts to protect the public purse is what has helped this government to have achieved much, much more than any government over a similar period in virtually all sectors, including education, health, social welfare, policing, security in general, roads, railways, agriculture, industrialisation, tourism, digitization, and funding for anti-corruption institutions,” he explained.
The Finance Minister also stated that all expenditures by his administration have been approved by Parliament.
“On all those occasions, I received approval as Parliament subsequently passed Appropriations Bills for all those budgets. Every key expenditure made has been supported by this House”.
He also bemoaned the delay in the passage of the Electronic Transaction Levy, which he claimed had a negative impact on the economy’s fiscal state.
“Indeed, we all saw the dire consequences when the House, for months, refused to pass a major revenue generation item introduced by this government to support the fiscal stability of the economy”.
