The over 80 New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament who threatened to boycott the budget presentation by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta say their position still holds.
According to a spokesperson for the group, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, until the Finance minister is sacked, they will not participate in the 2023 Budget hearing and passage.
“If he is not there, can’t others present the budget? No one is indispensable. We have completely lost confidence in him because, in the 2022 Budget, he [Ofori-Atta] promised that with an E-levy and Property Rate, there will be no need to go to the IMF for support… As we speak now, that has not happened, and the property rate is even yet to take off,” he told Citi FM in an interview.
“We are not convinced that it should be Ken Ofori-Atta…,” he added.
The embattled Finance Minister is expected to present the 2023 Budget Statement of government before Parliament on Thursday, November 24, 2022.
The 2023 budget will forecast the government’s expenditure and revenue for the year.
There have been concerns about the delay in its presentation due to the government’s negotiation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for US$3 billion support.
Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, made the announcement while presenting the Business Statement of Parliament for this week.
“The committee has programmed for the presentation of the 2023 Budget on Thursday, November 24, 2022, and duly, the committee urges members to take note and adjust their calendars accordingly. We have also programmed the debates in such a manner that, we will maximize the time.”
Meanwhile, Ofori-Atta has denied allegations that his “recklessness” has contributed to Ghana’s economic crisis.
“I have not been reckless in the management of the fiscal operations of the government,” he told the Ad hoc Committee of Parliament hearing the censure motion brought against him on Friday, November 18.
The Minority in Parliament has raised a censure motion against him over the Minister’s fiscal recklessness which has led to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world.
