According to him, the taxes have been incorporated into government’s revenue projections for the year and any attempt to scrap any of them could spell doom for the current revenue structure.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, Mr. Tampuli however added that government is putting in place measures to alleviate the plight of petroleum consumers.

[contextly_sidebar id=”8ZxnyvwNnU8qUizzoKuNnq73qPxqJnEM”]“You would agree with me that government has some obligations and these obligations are based on the projected revenue and the revenues that we have accrued. These revenues include the price stabilization and recovery levy. Now that lots of revenue for the government.”

“If you are saying that we should remove completely the Special Petroleum Tax, price stabilization levy among others, then you are just asking for the collapse of the revenue as far as government projects are concerned. What government is doing is in a way responding to the needs and concerns of the Ghanaian people by reducing the price figure by 3%,” he added.

COPEC, ICU demo

The NPA CEO’s made the remark after a demonstration in Accra, organized by the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) in collaboration with the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), seeking to force the government to reduce taxes on petroleum products.

Currently, a litre of both petrol and diesel goes for GHc4.62 at some major fuel stations.

This is despite assurances from the NPA that prices will remain fairly stable at the pumps.

The NPP government while in opposition also promised to scrap some taxes on petroleum taxes it described as “nuisance” taxes.

But one year after assuming office, there has been pressure on the  NPP government to honour its promises after it reviewed only a few of the taxes instead of scrapping them completely.

Response to COPEC, ICU demonstration

Responding to concerns raised by the demonstrators, Mr. Tampuli said “government is not interested in seeing that the people of Ghana go through some hardship,” hence his call that they should exercise patience.

“Whatever it is that we do, we give cushion to the Ghanaian consumers…The Minister for Energy has said it several times that government is considering different options aimed at dealing with this situation. So they should be rest assured, they have every right to demonstrate but we are saying that the reason for the demonstration is not as tenable as they want us to believe especially when the prices could have gone way higher than it has but for the intervention of government and there are records there to show,” Mr. Tampuli added.

Click below for Hassan Tampuli’s interview on the Citi Breakfast Show: 

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Scrapping fuel taxes will ‘collapse’ Govt’s revenue structure – NPA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Clad in red T-shirts and armbands, they held placards with inscriptions such as “The woman is alien in Savelugu, “We don’t want her” and “Nana Addo do the right thing.”

The Savelugu constituency women’s Organizer, Kande Amadu told Citi News that the MCE nominee, Hajia Ayishetu Seidu is not a registered voter in the constituency.

She claimed Hajia Ayishetu Seidu never participated in any party activities ahead of the 2016 polls.

Kande Amadu warned that any attempt to impose the MCE nominee on the people will be fiercely resisted.

She advised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to rescind his decision and nominate an indigen from the area.

An official statement issued in support of the demonstration endorsed the MCE nominee’s rejection.

A part of the statement read, “Hajia Ayishetu is undeserving and unfit both legally and morally for her nomination as the MCE for Savelugu/Nantong municipal assembly and we are therefore demanding that Hajia Ayishetu Seidu’s nomination be revoked and replaced.”

“Haji Ayishetu Seidu is not an electorate in either the Savelugu or Nantong constituency. We are therefore alarmingly intrigued as to how come she has been nominated for the municipality.”

“Our party elders, founding fathers and former MCE in the two constituencies were not consulted.”

The Savelugu/Nantong district police commander, ASP Peter Tawiah led his men to avert any untoward situation during the demonstration.

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Savelugu NPP executives stage demo against MCE nominee appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the contractors, government owes them over five hundred million Ghana cedis spanning a period of six months.

One of the affected contractors, Daniel Tanor, told Citi News the Ministry of Finance has delayed the payment, a situation he says is crippling their businesses, since most of them go for loans to pre-finance the projects .

“For the past five, six months, we have not been paid. We have been going to GETFund premises all this while, and the story has been for us to come the next week that but nothing happens. We have been able to find out that Ministry of Finance has not given GETFund money to pay the contractors. We came to conclusion that, the only thing we can do is to demonstrate. If we do that the President will listen to us. If we are not paid up to Tuesday 11:00am,  all GETFund contractors will hit the streets.

“We will move to the presidency, that is the Flagstaff House. If we do not see the president then we will go to his House and tell him that banks are chasing us, even on Xmas day some of the contractors were not even at home because suppliers and banks were chasing all of them. Government is owing contractors more than 500 million cedis. Individually, 2 million, 5 million. We are urging all GET Fund contractors to converge on GET Fund premises  on Tuesday morning. We will walk to the Flagstaff House. We are more than 1,000”

GETFund contractors threaten to lock school buildings 

In July 2014, Getfund Contractors Association threatened to lock all school buildings they had constructed if government failed to pay outstanding arrears owed for the work done.

The Association said the lack of payments to its members was negatively affecting their families.

In an interview with Citi News, a member and contractor of the Getfund Contractors Association, George Agbo, indicated that locking the various schools would be necessary if payments are not made.

“After the demonstration, if nothing is done, we will go to all the schools and close them down. We will go to all the schools and take our keys”.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post GETFund contractors threaten demo over unpaid salaries appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking to Citi News, David Asare, tutor at the school who also doubles as the Chairman of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) for the Asante Akyem Central Municipality said  the decision was taken after a board meeting.

The students went on rampage on Friday at the premises of the school over what they described as ‘unlawful’ transfer of some ten teachers by the headmistress, Comfort Odehe.

The students claimed the headmistress’ action was because the teachers were leading a “crusade” for the arrest of another teacher who had allegedly sodomised two of the students.

During the protest, the students threatened to burn down the school.

“Students have been asked to go home as a result of the demonstration that they had, the board chairman was around and asked the children to go home. He said they would be communicated to as and when they want them to come back. It was as a result of the board meeting that the decision was arrived at since we did not want to take chances,” David Asare noted.

Mr. Asare said the board is expected to hold further consultations with “some major stakeholders and deliberate on the issues raised by the students.”

“For the union, it is an administrative issue that has come up and the teachers involved are both NAGRAT and GNAT members so the union is also seeing how best it can mediate and possibly bring an end to this situation that the teachers are going through. Per the letters that were issued to them [transferred teachers], they were to report to their new stations on December 1. This implies that from the 1^st of December they are no longer part of this institution,” he explained.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Konongo Odumase SHS students asked to go home for rioting appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The demonstration is to press home their demands for government to pay trainee nurses; and midwives some allowances due them, and also ensure employment for all qualified nurses and midwives.

The demonstration was earlier scheduled for Monday September 19, but the Police did not grant allow it saying it had inadequate men to ensure orderliness.

We have green light now

Speaking to Citi News, President of the Association, Akazee Godwin Asabire, said the Police have now given them the green light.

“Although it was supposed to come off on September 19, which the Police prevented us; we now have been granted the permit which has given us the guts to have the demonstration come today September 22nd.”

Asabire explained that, they are demonstrating because several pleas they have made to the stakeholders involved have failed to yield any positive results.

Demo not partisan one

“We have given out stakeholders so much time and respect to resolve our issues for us; but it like anytime we give them the opportunity to resolve the issue, they always treat us to their advantage. We are students and we want this issue to be resolved because it has a major impact on our training. We want the issue to be resolved for us, this issue that we are pursuing is not partisan issues and nobody should ever say that somebody is being pushed by a political party to pursue another political agenda, no” he insisted.

Venue for demo He said they will converge at the Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle around 8:00am; and go through some principal streets of Accra; and finally end at the Accra Hearts of Oak Park “where we will be expecting the Chief of Staff to meet us and receive our petition.”
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Nurses, midwives trainees in massive demo today appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The union declared a strike on Thursday after a meeting with the National Labour Commission (NLC),and the Ministry of Transport proved unproductive.

The union, last week threatened to embark on a strike on Monday, September 12, 2016 but was subpoenaed by the NLC to attend a meeting with the Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Transport.

According to union, the Ministry of Finance failed to turn up, hence no conclusion was reached.

Speaking to Citi Business News, the General Secretary of the Railway Workers Union, Godwill Ntarmah warned that the union will demonstrate if government fails to positively respond to the strike.

“This is the first phase, maybe in the next phase we will get out and go on the street, because we are determined this time to make sure we get our release,” he said.

He stated that all efforts aimed at getting government to release the funds have proved futile, hence the union’s decision to use every legitimate means available to demand for the money.

“So far we have stopped only the passenger trains. Still we are hauling manganese in the Western region, but the passenger trains in Accra; Accra to Nsawam, and Accra to Tema are the ones that we have halted,” he disclosed.

Railway workers announce strike

The union declared an indefinite strike after a meeting with National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Ministry of  Transport proved unproductive.

According to union, the absence of the Ministry of Finance at the meeting showed that government was not ready to address the issue since the ministry  is the only organization that can release the funds.

“The Minister of Transport even though he didn’t come, he was represented by the Chief Director and two other officials. At the end of the day without the Finance Chief Director it was difficult to come to an appreciable agreement,” Mr. Ntarmah told Citi Business News earlier.

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By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

The post Railway workers to embark on demo over salary arrears appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.