“We are suffering; taxes are crippling our businesses” – GUTA tells Mahama’s running mate

The Ghana Union of Traders Association’s (GUTA) Ashanti Regional branch has expressed dissatisfaction with the high taxes that are affecting their companies and announced their support for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the next elections.

Together with leaders from the Ashanti Region business sector, GUTA members voiced their complaints to NDC Vice-Presidential Candidate Prof. Jane Opoku-Agyemang.

“As a business community, we are suffering; these taxes are crippling our operations,” said Nana Kwame Amoanyame, the Ashanti Regional Vice Chairman of GUTA, in reference to the negative impact that the existing tax system has on companies.

“Please kindly do something about it for us in your next government,” he said, pleading with the NDC for assistance.

Mr. Amoanyame also asked that an NDC-led administration take action to limit foreign participation in Ghana’s retail industry, which is customarily exclusive to Ghanaians, especially from Nigerians.

Local traders were being pushed out by the surge of international stores, he said.

He also urged assistance in the form of soft loans to encourage company operations in the area.

Recent grievances from GUTA’s national membership over exorbitant fees levied by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) are echoed by the Ashanti Region GUTA’s calls.

Due to this mounting dissatisfaction, a large number of businesspeople in the area have thrown their support behind the NDC and promised to vote for it on December 7.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang’s campaign manager, Alex Segbefia, responded by assuring traders that the NDC will implement significant tax reform.

He cautioned that if the existing tax system is not changed, it may impede economic growth.

Mr. Segbefia promised that an NDC government would scrap “nuisance taxes,” such as the E-charge, COVID-19 levy, 10% betting tax, and the emission levy, within the first ninety days of taking office.