The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA), Nana Asiedu Peprah, has expressed strong dissatisfaction with comments made by the Minister for Finance regarding national tax collection.
Reacting to the Minister’s mid-year budget review presentation to Parliament, Mr Peprah lamented that the government appears focused on squeezing the same small group of compliant taxpayers instead of expanding the net to broaden revenue sources.
Speaking to Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he noted that the Minister’s proposals seem tailored to continuously target the roughly 18 per cent of citizens who are already paying their fair share.
Mr Peprah called on the Finance Ministry to collaborate closely with trade associations to improve collection mechanisms if other stakeholders are failing to contribute, assuring that
GUTA stands fully prepared to assist. He emphasised that building the nation requires collective effort, urging all citizens and key actors to share constructive ideas to drive national development.
The Government is introducing a hybrid excise system for wines and spirits to seal tax leakages estimated at GH¢4 billion between 2023 and 2025.
Presenting the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review of the 2026 Budget in Parliament on Thursday, 23 July 2026, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson revealed that analysis of imports over the three-year period showed over GH¢5 billion in potential taxable revenue.
However, around 78 per cent entered customs regimes such as warehousing and transit, meaning nearly four out of every five cedis escaped excise duty.
Dr Forson described the existing framework as inefficient and unsustainable.
He assured Parliament that the Excise Duty Bill currently before the House includes targeted measures to address these losses.
The proposed policy introduces a combined ad valorem (value-based) and specific (quantity-based) tax structure.
Commenting on this, Mr Peprah lamented that the government has consistently squeezed the few taxpayers instead of expanding the tax net.
”Only a few businesses are paying taxes. The few who pay are also being overstretched. We, therefore, want the government to expand the tax net and ensure that businesses that are not within the tax net are brought on board. Instead of overstretching the few who are paying, we should rather encourage more to pay their taxes.
”From the budget review, we did not really hear anything concrete about how the tax net would be expanded. The taxes are still expensive or nuisance taxes. Expanding it will provide relief for everyone,” he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
