GUTA kicks against newly passed revenue bills

The Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA) has kicked against the three revenue bills passed by Parliament last Friday, saying it will lead to collapse of businesses.

Parliament last week passed three revenue bills namely the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, the Excise Duty and Excise Tax Stamp (Amendment) Bill, and the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill.

The bills were given the green light after a majority decision of 137-136 on Friday 31 March 2023. Government is seeking to generate approximately GHC4 billion a year to supplement domestic revenue following the passage of the three bills.

“We disapprove of the adoption of the revenue bills,” president of GUTA, Joseph Obeng, said on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (3 April).

“I have not seen any engagement between government and GUTA on these, and nobody has communicated to us in that direction, and it has always been the norm, that government engages us on new taxes and bills to build consensus,” Obeng told the host Kwaku Nhyira-Addo.

“Almost all the businesses are protesting that we are already overburdened and that government should not adopt these obnoxious taxes,” he said.