The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, is furious over what he calls the overexploitation of Ghanaians by members of GUTA.
According to the Bekwai MP, GUTA has lost the moral right to complain about tax hikes alleging that members of the association under-declare their products and also overprice their goods to gain huge profit margins.
Joewise who is unhappy with the current development was reacting to concerns raised by GUTA over the introduction of the 3 revenue bills approved by parliament.
According to the association, their members are already struggling with their businesses insisting, the 3 revenue measures will impose additional hardship on them.
But Joewise in an interview with Kwesi Parker-Wilson Oyerepa TV, accused members of the association of dishonesty, insisting they (GUTA) are ripping off the Ghanaian consumer.
“GUTA should be fair to this country. They are always talking about taxes and yet they are over-exploiting Ghanaians and I am saying this without fear. I bought these tiles you see in China, some of the highest grades you can get.
But I bought less than a fraction of what they (GUTA) sell on the market which is even the weakest in China. I also paid import duties They are dishonest, they are under-declaring and inflating the prices to make huge profits on any product”. He told morning show host Kwesi Parker-Wilson.
He further argued that Ghanaians are not paying enough taxes to cushion the government to realize its revenue target. Comparing Ghana to other African countries, the first Deputy Speaker noted that in spite of low tax collection in Ghana, 90% of African countries cannot match Ghana in terms of development.
“If GUTA were to pay the right taxes on imported products, it should reflect in how much revenue we generate. The government runs a budget deficit every year and is compelled to borrow to finance the budget. So the truth of the matter is that we (as a nation) are not paying enough taxes.
…90 per cent of West African countries cannot match Ghana in terms of development and infrastructure yet they pay more taxes than us. And yet the educated ones among GUTA are always complaining about taxes”. he explained.
