The Minority Caucus in Parliament has rejected three government tax administration platform agreements, raising serious concerns over transparency and potential state exploitation.
Speaking to the press, Dr Gideon Boako, Member of Parliament for Tano North, detailed that the deals cover a Sentinel Cross Border E-commerce VAT monitoring platform, a Ghana Domestic Revenue Collection Platform, and a Fiscal Electronic Device Platform.
“The minority side has in unison rejected all these agreements that the majority on the strength of their numbers have approved,” he stated.
Dr Boako stressed that while these systems appear separate, they form an integrated tax framework.
He maintained that the opposition fully backs tax modernisation and technology-driven compliance.
“We support the use of technology to improve compliance. We support digitalisation of public services. We support measures that reduce tax evasion, strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation and broaden the national tax base,” Dr Boako said.
He noted that the caucus aligns with the digitalisation vision of its flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who has championed tax efficiency through technology over the last two decades.
However, he warned against using technology as a cover for opacity.
“We do not believe in digital opacity and any attempt by any government to hide behind digitalisation to fleece the state. That is why we objected to all of this,” he insisted.
Despite the Minority’s objections, the Majority used its numbers to approve the agreements.
The Minority further accused the government of bypassing local technology firms to award the contract to foreign entities.
“It’s simply a platform that the government has entered into an agreement that provides a platform with a foreign company,” Dr Boako stated.
He contrasted the decision with previous national projects such as GhanaPost GPS and Ghana.gov, which were successfully developed by Ghanaian IT firms.
“Unlike time past where the previous government engaged local Ghanaian IT firms to deploy some of these technologies to help the cause of this country. This government is deciding to seed this to foreign companies,” he said.
“This government has come and is going to deploy a technology to help with e-commerce transactions, VAT and cross border transactions. And the government is going to use a foreign company,” he added.
Highlighting the immediate impact on consumers, Dr Boako warned that the new online VAT platform will impose unfair double taxation on everyday internet purchases, directly affecting students and online shoppers.
“If you’re a student in Lagon or any university, and you want to order a textbook, hair or anything on the Internet, Amazon, or any platforms, you’re likely to pay two different VAT” he stated.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
