I was just joking – Bawumia clarifies comments on church tax

Ghanaian

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has clarified remarks suggesting the incentivization of churches for developmental projects, clarifying that his comments were made in jest.

During a meeting with members of the clergy in the North East Region as part of his nationwide tour, the Vice President explained that his statement

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Dr. Bawumia stressed that his remarks were made within the context of acknowledging the significant contributions of churches and faith-based institutions to national development, including the construction of schools, hospitals, and other essential facilities.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Bawumia emphasized the pivotal role churches play in society, highlighting the extensive infrastructure they have built and the vital services they provide to communities.

He pointed out that his mention of incentivizing churches was not to be taken literally but rather as a recognition of their immense contributions deserving of support.

"So at that point I was joking and I said, people are talking about taxing churches. I don’t believe, and we will not tax churches. Because if you look at the work the churches have done, then I was joking then, maybe we should have actually paid them for what they did, not really trying to tax them. But I wasn’t really saying we should pay churches, no. I am saying that we should give incentives to churches to do more," Bawumia clarified.