Former Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaboso Constituency in the Western Region, Hon Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has described a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko as a "de facto President of Ghana".
He says the former Director of the Danquah Institute takes decisions for the government and looks like he is "some how running a parallel government".
Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh wondered why the Presidency has allowed Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a cousin to President Akufo-Addo, to make profound statements in the public space, especially on the proposed Valued Added Tax (VAT) increment.
To him, Gabby, has become so very powerful and appears to have been left to even make certain decisions.
“Is Gabby the right person to come out and tell us about increment of taxes? Who is he to make such pronouncements? I think he has become so powerful to the extent that I now see him as a de facto President,” he said.
This notwithstanding, Mr Akandoh believes Akufo-Addo’s proposed new taxes would rather end up crippling businesses.
Ahead of the mid-year budget presentation to Parliament, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko hinted that government will increase tax to raise more revenue.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, the former Director of think tank, Danquah Institute wrote: “will you support a VAT increase to keep your lights on, your secondary schools filled, your school kids fed, your streets clean, your streets safe, young graduates employed, and decent, affordable homes built for working families?”
Reacting to the development, former President, John Dramani Mahama said the intended plan will worsen the hardship being experienced by Ghanaian businesses.
“The Ghanaian business sector has never experienced such difficult times in the history of the 4th Republic. Akufo-Addo’s proposed new taxes would cripple businesses further and also defeat his much-touted mantra of “from taxation to production,” the former leader said in a Tweet.
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