Former President John Dramani Mahama has called out President Akufo-Addo describing his continuous use of expensive private jet as “disrespectful” and “insensitive” to taxpayers.
This was contained in an address delivered by Mr. Mahama on Wednesday November 10, 2021 to thank Ghanaians for the support they showed him in the last election.
Mr. Mahama argued that for the president to have spent “staggering GH¢68 million” traveling in the first nine months of 2019 alone constituted an unconscionable waste of very limited public resources at a time that the population was being asked to tighten their belts.
“The misuse of scarce resources on the avoidable creature comforts of the President and other leading officials must come to an end…it is an unpardonable show of disrespect and insensitivity to the plight of the suffering masses for millions of Ghana cedis to be spent renting luxurious aircraft for Presidential travels at a time when the state of Ghana has a fully fitted and airworthy Presidential aircraft that can ferry the President anywhere in this world”.
The 2020 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) believes that government prefers to impose more hardship and suffering on Ghanaians, by introducing what he described as very painful fiscal measures in the 2022 budget as a way of avoiding an IMF programme.
He added that “This government must realise that there is only so much that the already over-burdened Ghanaian people can bear and, thus piling more taxes and levies on them will have devastating consequences on households. The very high cost of living will go through the roof leading to severe suffering for millions of people”.
He said this is not the time for more taxes especially not at the time “The people are reeling under the heavyweight of existing taxes. This is the time for efficiency, and the modest use of the taxes collected”.
I had always thought the POSTERITY that was to judge me was far away, but it came too soon under this government’s watch. I do not seek vindication. How can I seek vindication when the impact of this government’s mismanagement of the economy has been so grave on the people of Ghana who I hold dear, Mr. Mahama concluded.