Deputy Director of Communications for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Anthony Karbo, has defended his party’s continuous promise to scrap specific taxes when elected into office, with the latest being a promise to scrap import duties on raw materials, in a bid to grow and support local businesses.
The Lawra Parliamentary Candidate for the NPP in an interview on Eyewitness News, explained that finding money to implement the policies, will be their priority should they be given the mandate to rule.
The Vice Presidential Candidate of the opposition NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, gave the hint about the intended scrapping of import duties, when he was speaking to students of the St. Francis College of Education in Hohoe as part of his tour of the Volta Region.
He has similarly announced the scrapping of taxes on private universities, and has repeatedly trumpeted the party’s decision to restore allowances for teacher trainees and nurses, which have been scrapped by the incumbent NDC administration.
[contextly_sidebar id=”8gpgIsCRz1eeWvquqgnPAxQEpdWok8lC”]Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Karbo who would not agree with suggestions that the party may only be making wild promises, insisted that the proposed policies would be in the best interest of the country.
According to him, an NPP administration will take the necessary steps to boost businesses in a new era of industrialization that will be led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“We are making this policy decision because the only way to make businesses invest more and create job opportunities is to take away the high cost of imports.”
Mr. Karbo says countries that have witnessed massive economic boom lowered taxes on local businesses.
“If you look at many of these countries that have been able to grow their export sector and grow their local business, it is as a result of lowering taxes… Our policy is hinged on supporting production and that production will lead to employment and employment will lead to government taking income tax and corporate taxes.”
The cost of these policies
Mr. Karbo however failed to explain how the party would find the money to implement such policies, and how much it would cost in implementing others, except to say that his party would focus on finding the money as long as they are a priority.
“I don’t have immediately the figures about how much it will cost, but I know that we have thought through the policy, we know where we are going to raise the money to deal with this particular thing. Government is about priorities and our biggest priority is to restore these allowance because it is important, it is critical for our educational policy and it is certainly going to be hinged on that,” he added.
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By Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana