Chairman of the Tax Justice Coalition Ghana, Vitus Azeem has urged government to focus its revenue mobilization agenda towards property income and property taxation.
According to the group, government can generate revenue through this means which will not burden the poor as it seeks to do.
The call follows the increase of VAT by 2.5%, the removal of the mobile money threshold and the reduction of the rate of the levy from 1.5% to 1%.
The Coalition believes that if Parliament approves the proposed VAT, it would only burden the poor and marginalized in society.
The Chairman of the Coalition, Vitus Azeem said property taxes are a better alternative.
“We are talking about tax on income, property and wealth, for example, when you drive to East Legon, you look at the roads, we are not talking about the beautiful expensive houses over there. But the roads they have built over there with taxes of all Ghanaians, are better than the roads in Kasoa”.
“So those people should be paying more than those people in Kasoa. They are in a better position to pay than those in Kasoa, because they are enjoying better benefits than the rest of us, so they must be made to pay more. The point is let’s concentrate on property income and property taxes,” Chairman of the Tax Justice Coalition Ghana said.
The Government of Ghana is seeking to increase Value Added Tax from 12.5% to 15%, a move that has received a push back from many Ghanaians.
Source: theGhanaianvoice.com