Government Spokesperson on Governance and Security Palgrave Boakye-Danquah has apologised to the Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA) for the seeming snub by government in the rollout of the three new tax bills.

GUTA’s President Dr Joseph Obeng had complained bitterly on TV3‘s New Day on Wednesday, April 19 about the neglect of them by government in the introduction of the new tax bills.

Dr Obeng said they were not consulted as major stakeholders only for the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to assent to the three bills.

The bills, now laws, are the Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Left Bill and Income Tax Amendment Bill.

Accepting the concerns raised by GUTA on the show, Mr Boakye-Danquah apologised to GUTA “for the lack of consultation”.

He, however, disclosed that the bills are not new as being perceived by the stakeholders.

“These bills that have been assented [to] by the President were already in place,” he stated.

“These are amendments that have been made to these bills to further boost our economy.”

He said countries that have developed “have paid good taxes” and he has no doubt that the new taxes will do more good than harm.

Dean of the University of Cape Coast Business School Professor John Gatsi opined on the same programme that in the management of the current fiscal situation the tax payer has a say.

He, therefore, suggested that tax payers such as traders must be given the opportunity to have a say in all processes in order for consensus to be reached before the introduction of new taxes.