Ghanaians probably aren’t keen on E-levy because of SADA, GYEEDA, SUBA, Brazilian Aircrafts

There are schools of thought who insist that Ghanaians resistance to the E-levy passage has something to do with the sleazes and wanton corruption being perpetrated by public officials as if there is no tomorrow.

As a matter of fact, we elect a government to oversee our national affairs. And, we, in turn, are obliged to pay taxes to the elected government so as to run the country to our satisfaction.

In addition, the elected government has our unflinching support to go for prudent loans to support the day-to-day management of the country.

In effect, we (the citizens) pay for all the expenses relating to the management of the country.

It is, therefore, expected that the government of the day will use some of the taxes to provide social interventions such as the Nurse’s Allowance, the Teacher’s Allowance, SADA, GYEEDA, NHIS, the Maternal Care, the School Feeding programme, the Mass Transport System, the Free SHS, the Nation Builders Corp (NABCO), the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the Disability Common Fund, the Capitation Grant, amongst others.

In addition, the elected government is obliged to provide social amenities and infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, schools, water, toilets, amongst others.

The taxpayers also expect the government of the day to think outside the box and come out with innovative policies and programmes such as Planting for Food and Jobs, Planting for Export and Rural Development, One District One Factory, One Village One Dam, One million per Constituency, amongst others.

Unfortunately, however, some of the public officials do not often live up to the expectations of Ghanaians.

It is indeed disappointing that individuals would form an alliance, create loot, share the taxpayer's money with impunity and go scot-free.

In fact, Ghanaians are perfectly right in getting angry over the purported GH800 million dubious judgment debt payments, including the GH51.2 million to Woyome, $30 million to the Waterville, and $375,000 to Isofoton which resulted in the drastic reduction of capital expenditure, and as a consequence, most contractors were not paid by the erstwhile NDC administration.

Why won’t the good people of Ghana ventilate their arousing disgust over the wilful misappropriation of a $175 million loan facility secured in 2012 which was meant to provide seven district hospitals but the NDC hierarchy misapplied on the blind side of Ghanaians?

Wasn’t it appalling when the elected officials surreptitiously diverted $6 million of a government loan facility of $175 million meant to provide seven district hospitals into researching the then governing NDC chances of winning the 2016 general elections?

Ghanaians have every right to show concern on the over GH200 million SADA funds invested on trees that were reported to have burnt down and the guinea fowls that miraculously flew to nearby Burkina Faso without a trace.

Even though a competent court of jurisdiction convicted and sentenced four former NDC officials over the embezzled GYEEDA and NCA funds meant to provide suitable employment for the youth of Ghana, the good people of Ghana have every right to emit their fury in condemnation.

If anything at all, discerning Ghanaians were expecting an unconditional apology over the scandalous Bus Branding, the Brazil World Cup, SADA, SUBA, amongst others, but were disappointed once again.

Some of us, as a matter of principle, cannot comprehend how and why the people we choose to entrust with the national coffers could team up with shifty individuals and dip their hands into the national coffers as if there is no tomorrow.

In Ghana, in spite of the fact that corruption is a serious economic, social, political, and moral impediment to nation-building, our corrupt officials are bent on siphoning our scarce resources regardless.

There is no gainsaying that Ghana’s transgressed and incompliant politicians and other public officials often get away with murder.

In any case, we hope and pray that the NPP administration will use the proceeds of the E-levy judiciously to augment the existing well-received policies and programmes such as the Free SHS, NABCO, Nurses, and Teachers Allowances, amongst others.