Govt Is Irresponsible…“Spending Money Like An Arab Sheikh” – Ken Kuranchie

Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Searchlight, Ken Kuranchie has jabbed government over the introduction of new tax hikes on goods and services provided in the country. The newspaper editor, who could not fathom the logic in introducing new taxes, said on Oman FM's political programme 'National Agenda' bemoaned the extravagant nature of the Mahama-led government. Ken Kuranchie says government is ‘irresponsible’ and in its usual fashion, ‘spending money like an Arab Sheikh’; a reason for the new tax imposition under President Mahama’s administration. To him, government should do its homework well before making proposition for new tax adjustments. He said on Boiling Point that the incumbent government has been mismanaging public resources and ‘chopping’ the monies derived from tax payers in the country. “They are just chopping the money…That is the problem, misusing public resources,” he confirmed, stressing that; “there’s money in this country. Government should come and tell us how they are properly accounting for those monies before they can have the nerve to come and tell us about the imposition of new taxes. “They are not being responsible.They are just spending money…You are spending money like an Arab Sheik, then after you come and tell us that you want to increase taxes.” Government, he added, spent over 120 million cedis while attending ‘conferences and seminars and sleeping at hotels’, all in the name of building capacity in the oil sector. Also, he questioned government about the initiatives it is undertaking to revitalize production of local rice for consumption. “What have they done to boost local rice production?...How many times does government buy locally produced rice for Police Service?”, “What did John Mahama bring back?” following his relations with international bodies, he asked. According to him, “it seems to be an official policy of State that the institutions which are to ensure that government is accountable, they are poorly resourced” making it difficult for the institutions to exercise an oversight responsibility over government’s activities.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana