Akufo-Addo chairs urgent cabinet retreat to go for e-levy or IMF bailout Thursday March 17 -20

It has emerged that the growing depreciation of the cedi together with the unbearable hikes in fuel prices has forced Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government to hold an emergency cabinet meeting to fish out remedy to the rising economic problems facing Ghana. It is meant to table over the final decision to either drop the controversial E-levy Bill or go for IMF bailout.

The meeting is expected to take place at the Peduase Lodge, from Thursday, March 17, to Sunday, March 20, 2022.

The deliberations will be chaired by President Akufo-Addo, together with all NPP MPs, ministers, government appointees, and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) leadership.

African Editors’ sources have confirmed that, the crunch meeting will discuss whether government should continue to push through with the E-levy Bill or resort to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in the face of the current fiscal hurdles.

Confirming the pending retreat on Thursday, the source further said the meeting will discuss other pertinent issues relating to the country’s development.

In a tweet on Thursday, a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Gabby Otchere-Darko also indicated that given the current deadlock on the controversial E-Levy Bill, there’s the need for a ‘national debate’ on the way forward.

“2022 began without the usual $3 billion injections of Eurobond cash. Govt’s post-COVID recovery GhanaCARES programme hinged partly on an E-levy which Parliament may not even OK.

“There should be a national debate: do we want IMF or E-Levy or both or none? Tough decisions confront Ghana”, he tweeted.

2022 began without the usual $3bn injection of Eurobond cash. Govt’s post-COVID recovery GhanaCARES programme hinged partly on an E-levy which Parliament may not even OK. There should be a national debate: do we want IMF or E-Levy or both or none? Tough decisions confront Ghana.

— Gabby Otchere-Darko (@GabbyDarko) March 17, 2022

Meanwhile, an Economist and former Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Professor Stephen Adei has refuted claims that Ghana’s economy is on the verge of collapse.

Speaking in an interview monitored by African Editors, he said the economy is not collapsing but “we are in difficult times.”

According to him, the country’s economy is stronger “than the word broke.”

His comment comes after an economist with the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Prof. Godfred Alufar Bokpin, warned of possible collapse of Ghana’s economy.

Speaking in an interview monitored by African Editors, Prof. Bokpin reiterated that as the country’s debt stock hits high distress levels, the current debt situation could get worse by the end of September if proper interventions are not implemented.

Ghana’s current public debt stock stands at a staggering ¢341.8 billion with a corresponding debt to GDP ratio of more than 77% as of September ending 2021.

This means if the country should share this amount across the country’s 30.8 million population, everyone will owe approximately ¢11,000.

In terms of interest payments on our borrowings, Ghana has spent on average 147 billion Ghana cedis, which is 47 billion Ghana cedis more than our projected revenue plus grants for 2022.

In the first quarter of 2022, government has indicated that it will borrow a total of ¢24.5 billion from the domestic market of which ¢20.7 billion will be used to service existing debt in the local market, leaving government with just ¢3.8 billion to finance other expenses.

Commenting on the country’s debt stock, Prof Adei proposed that the country’s expenditure be reduced.

“If you are exceeding your income, then you must accept to live below your income, which is the easy way, otherwise if you are earning ¢3,000 and you are in debt of ¢10,000 you cannot day to day spend ¢3,000.

For you to get out of the rag you will have to cut your expenditure to ¢2,000 because you must service your debt. So we are in that situation as a country,” he said.

He explained that although cutting expenditure might be difficult for the government, especially nearing an election period, that is the right way to go.

“… And they [government] must thank God that this crisis has come now and not 2023, because if they don’t go for the hard one now, which normally will take about 18 months to go over this type of hunch, then they have a good chance by the middle of 2023 to see some good results in 2024.

If not, things would get worse and they want to prevent being thrown out of government, they would be thrown out anyway”, he noted.

Meanwhile, Minority Caucus in Parliament has earlier predicted Akufo-Addo Administration will collapse the economy by the of 2022. According to former Deputy Finance and Minority Spokesperson on Finance, ” In not distanced future, government will have no alternative but to go for IMF bail out because the economy will collapse.

Source : africaeditors.com