Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II has encouraged Ghanaians to remain dedicated to taxation in order to ensure the country’s prosperity. According to the Asantehene, taxation is the sure way to grow a country.
He has made his thoughts on the heels of the fierce debate and broad condemnation of the 1.75 percent fee on electronic financial transactions proposed by the government in the 2022 budget announcement.
Speaking on Sunday, December 12, 2021, during the 24-carat commemorative gold coin at the Manhyia Palace, he stated that no government in the world has inhabitants who do not pay taxes, adding that good citizens pay taxes.
“There are no people in this world that love paying taxes, and yet there is no other way conceived by the human mind by which government can raise the resources to meet our needs other than by raising taxes,” Otumfuo said. “I do not know of any form of taxes that is less painful than others. So at last, government, by all means, would have to raise taxes to meet our needs and if we are good citizens, we will pay our taxes.”
Asantehene also argued that “there is no perfect government and there will never be as long as we have different points of view.”
He explained that “Ghana has moved on from a period of one political party dominating everything. Today, at least the two main political parties have all been in government” yet we still haven’t conquered our challenges
Another piece of advice given by Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II was that lawmakers should not exploit their positions to thwart the government’s legal functions.
He argued that legislators were merely the voice of the people and that it was not their job to formulate government policy.
“We elect people to represent us to make sure there is some equilibrium in what governments do. It is to our good that our representatives in Parliament subject the national budget to the most rigorous scrutiny and to call for changes.”
“Government must also have the humility to acknowledge and embrace the useful inputs from all sources, but our representatives need to bear in mind that it is not their role to either determine policy or to frustrate the executive from performing their legitimate duties.”
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