IMF PROGRAMME WON'T AFFECT MY PROPOSED ECONOMIC REFORMS- BAWUMIA

The Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has assured that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme currently guiding Ghana’s financial stabilization will not affect his economic agenda. This assurance comes at the back of concerns raised by some economic analysts about how certain policies, such as the proposed scrapping of the e-levy, introduction of a tax amnesty, and the implementation of a flat tax regime, could impact the country’s revenue streams and disrupt the IMF-backed stabilization measures. Dr Bawumia responded to these concerns by emphasising his administration’s commitment to economic growth coupled with fiscal discipline during a media engagement on Sunday, August 25 He assured that his policy framework would support the objectives of the IMF programme while also addressing the nation’s economic challenges. “I don’t see any inconsistency at all between what I am proposing and the Fund programme that we are engaged in. If you read my proposals very carefully, I start by saying we are going to bring down government expenditure by 3% of GDP. The proposals in terms of the tax cuts I am proposing will not even come up to 0.5% of GDP. “So you have more than enough space to fund what I am talking about. I think the issue at the end of the day for the programme is to make sure we maintain fiscal sustainability,” the Vice President said. Dr. Bawumia added that, in addition to this, he is proposing an amendment to the country’s Fiscal Responsibility Act to first make the Fiscal Responsibility Council independent akin to the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Ghana that will have oversight of fiscal responsibility and “a tighter fiscal rule where expenditure will not exceed 105% of the previous year’s tax revenue”. Story By : Collins Boateng (Cabman)for VOV News