The Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) has called for the immediate end to the implementation of a 5% excise tax on plastic manufacturers.
According to the Association, under the prevailing economic challenges, it would be “insensitive” for government to implement such a tax.
“GUTA registers its indignation at the imposition of the 5% Excise Tax on plastic manufacturing companies in the country, and call for immediate withdrawal of the tax to save the companies from collapse,” part of a press release signed by the General Secretary, Alpha Shaban reads.
The Association said, “We do not want to believe that the government is being insensitive to the plights of the business community and Ghanaians as well by imposing such a tax on plastic manufacturers in the country, especially, at this time of instability of the local currency, coupled with increasing utility tariffs and other numerous taxes that the business community is grappling with.”
GUTA wondered the rationale for imposing such a tax at this time, “What economic sense does it make at this time, when the government is said to be driving its industrialization agenda, calling for the need for import substitution and at the same time imposing such obnoxious tax on local manufacturing companies to collapse businesses, which are already suffocating as a result of unbearable taxes in the system?”
“The business community can no longer accept any additional layer of cost to doing business in the country, so we appeal to the government to, as a matter of urgency, stop the implementation of the 5% excise Tax to alleviate hardship in the country,” the statement concluded.
3 news.com
