sports infrastructure, then they are not being fair to the principle of being candid.
Mr Speaker, on the growth of the economy, our Hon Colleagues have always said that they have done better. A better performance of the economy of Ghana in the Fourth Republic, the highest growth ever of GDP, happened under President J.E.A. Mills, between 2009 and 2012, in particular 2011, when the economy grew at 14.5 per cent, overtaking Qatar at that particular instant. So, they should not create the impression that the NDC has never contributed to the growth of the Ghanaian economy. In any case, they did not inherit an economy which was growing negatively, and therefore, they must come true with the facts.
Mr Speaker, I would drift shortly to the labour sector. In paragraph 762 of the Budget, I indulge you to look at it, this is what Government stated. He says, and I quote:
“10,000 communities were connected to the national grid, bringing access to 85.17 per cent.”
The NDC Government left access to electricity at the end of 2016, and for that matter the beginning of 2017,
at 82 per cent. When we go through the Budget, in 2017, they budgeted for 2,185 communities, but the actual as was reported was 289 communities. In 2018, they budgeted for 1,796 communities, and the actual was 1,222 communities.
In 2019, they budgeted for 1,250 communities, and the actual was 305. In 2020, they also budgeted for 560 communities, and the actual was 388. By any imagination, only 1,104 communities were connected, not 10,000. Again, according to article 296 of the 1992 Constitution, they owe it to be candid to the Ghanaian people when they say that they connected 10,000 communities, when in actual sense, they connected only
1,104.
Mr Speaker, at the same time that Ghanaians are complaining about hardships due to the already difficult economic situations imposed by the Akufo-Addo-led Government, they are now propagating to introduce some draconian and harsh taxes. We on this Side are united that the timing of the taxes are inappropriate. The burden of the taxes will only further exacerbate the suffering of the Ghanaian people. We are also united in our opposition to the introduction of those taxes as named at this point in time.
What the Ghanaian needs, yes, is recovery, but they should be candid to us, so that we could help them to recover. They should not hide or conceal numbers and say that we should be a responsible Opposition. What is our debt status? We need to know. What is the fiscal deficit? We need to know. Is it 11.7 per cent or it is 13.5 per cent, if we are to add the energy sector?
This is the first time that I have heard a Minister of Finance say that the fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP, less banking sector arrears, is 11.7 per cent. What kind of economist is that? Why does he say “less banking sector arrears”? Who bears the burden of those arrears? The tax payer would bear that burden. Why are they excluding it in the computation of their fiscal deficit? Energy sector payment is an amount of GH¢8.2 billion, so, why are they excluding it? So, this is not a mark of being ingenious, but it is a mark of duplicity. They are not being ingenious when they do not come clear on these matters.
Mr Speaker, these taxes would increase prices of petroleum products, and from what my calculation is, it would be by 11 per cent or more. Is it therefore for us as a responsible Opposition, who are unconscionable,
to help this Government inflict more hardships on Ghanaians, particularly, when they themselves through their Minister for Information without any shame, tells the Ghanaian people that they offered them free water and free electricity, so, they are exacting payment of it from the Ghanaian people through these taxes?
And they think that they would win the support of the Ghanaian people? This is not the impression they gave them when they offered free water and free electricity.
At the time, they said that President Nana Akufo-Addo was a compassionate President. Where is the compassion, since they are asking them to now pay higher taxes because of it? Where is the compassion? Compassion because they were hit by the consequences of COVID-19 on employment, livelihood and incomes. Mr Speaker, I support Government when it wants to initiate some stimulus support for Ghanaian businesses and entrepreneurs.
What I would insist is, we should identify true Ghanaian businesses, not NDC businesses to suffer, and only NPP businesses to gain or be supported with stimulus packages. There must be transparency in who gets what. After all, each of them
