John Boadu
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) says the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sinister plans for Ghanaians as they try their best to scuttle the 2022 Budget.
Speaking at a press conference in Koforidua yesterday, NPP General Secretary John Boadu, said the opposition is using illegal means to reject the 2022 Budget to enable them to frustrate government business which will eventually affect the livelihood of Ghanaians.
He said the NPP will use every legal means to get the budget approved and called on the NDC to resort to the “Parliamentary process” for the debate.
“Furthermore, legislative authority to make proposals under Article 103 (3) does not extend to proposals in the nature of the imposition of expenditure. That is expressly prohibited by Article 108. Therefore, the NDC’s ultimatum demanding for explicit inclusion of funds for disaster relief may be overreaching the constitutional authority of the Minority in Parliament,” Mr. Boadu said.
“These are examples of the havoc that a misuse of the notion of a ‘hung Parliament’ can cause. If indeed the NDC purports to love the Republic as it seems to be saying in its statement, then the best way forward would be to continue with the Parliamentary process and consider the Budget statement per Standing Order 140 (4) and (5), which gives Parliament enough room to bring forward objections to any provision of the budget within the limits of the Constitution. Otherwise, the current posture of the NDC Minority Caucus is problematic for constitutional development,” he added.
Mr. Boadu said that “Article 93 (2) vests legislative power in Parliament, but it does not allocate the right to Parliament to write budgets or to force the hand of the Executive in relation to the budget the way the NDC is going about it. Indeed, Article 108 expressly limits the area of financial determination, especially imposition of taxes and expenditure to the President.”
He said that “the combined effect of Parliamentary intervention in respect of taxes may be to seek a reduction. Parliament is not entitled to reject a budgetary tax measure of the Executive because it is unreasonable, as the NDC have referred to the E-levy. Unreasonableness is not a constitutional or legislative ground for refusal to approve a budget statement.”
He said that the NPP will continue to offer “well thought-through policies for the good people of Ghana. These policies would generate the much-needed jobs and incomes for our youth,” adding “our policies will continue to generate resources to develop the hard and soft infrastructure of the country, provide education to all in need, protect and grow the health sector.”
He challenged the NDC to “tell us what their alternative is for Ghana,” adding “is it their view that government puts levies on petroleum products, continues borrowing, that we collapse the local manufacturing economy in favour of imports?”