The nearly 80 New Patriotic Party (NPP) members of parliament who vowed to skip Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta’s budget presentation said their stance is still valid.
Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, a representative for the group, said they wouldn’t take part in the hearing or passage of the 2023 Budget unless the Finance Minister was fired. If he’s not present, can’t someone else provide the budget? Nobody is a must. We have lost all faith in him since he [Ofori-Atta] said in the 2022 Budget that an E-levy and Property Rate would make it unnecessary to request aid from the IMF. As of right now, that has not occurred, and the property rate has not even begun to rise, he said in an interview with Citi FM.
It should not be Ken Ofori-Atta, he continued, “we are not persuaded about that.” On Thursday, November 24, 2022, the embattled Finance Minister is scheduled to deliver the government’s 2023 Budget Statement to the legislature. The government’s expenses and revenues for the coming year will be predicted in the 2023 budget. Due to the government’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for funding of US$3 billion, there have been concerns about the presentation’s postponement.
While presenting the Business Statement of Parliament for this week, Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh made the announcement. “The committee encourages members to take note and modify their calendars accordingly as the committee has scheduled the presentation of the 2023 Budget for Thursday, November 24, 2022. We have also scheduled the debates such that we will make the most of the time.
Ofori-Atta, meantime, has refuted claims that Ghana’s economic problems are a result of his “recklessness.” On Friday, November 18, the Ad hoc Committee of Parliament was considering the censure resolution submitted against him. He stated, “I have not been careless in the handling of the fiscal operations of the government.” Because of the Minister’s fiscal irresponsibility, which caused the Ghana Cedi to plummet and become the worst-performing currency in the world, the minority in parliament has moved to condemn him.
