Bussiness
Fuel prices to go up by Ghc17 despite Gold for Oil Policy – IES
The Institute of Economic Security (IES) is predicting an increase in fuel prices despite the Gold for Oil Policy being rolled out by the government.
Speaking on Starr Today with Joshua Kodjo Mensah Monday January 30, 2023 Policy Analyst with the IES, Adam Yakubu said consumers should expect that by Tuesday or Wednesday prices of petroleum will jump up per their estimated projections.
“Even though the government’s policy on Gold for Oil is on course we are not seeing anything after the 45 metric tons of oil that we brought in somewhere last week. In the last two weeks the international prices of petroleum have gone up and the cedi has also lost some considerable value against the major trading currencies and the dollar.
“Until the full disclosure of the Gold for Oil Policy by the government we are unable to see any clear reduction. Unless the government has something to do with its taxes on petroleum products that will bring some respite which we are not seeing because of the economic situation we find ourselves in,” Mr. Yakubu stated.
He continued: “So clearly, from now on consumers should brace themselves for Ghc15 to 17 cedis diesel and LPG Ghc14.”
Meanwhile, Former President John Mahama has stated that the government must put before parliament, the Gold for Oil agreement for parliamentary scrutiny and approval since the deal is an international financial transaction.
“According to the 1992 Constitution of Ghana international financial transactions require the approval of Parliament,” he stated at a public forum in London, adding “it does not matter that the Gold for Oil deal is a batter trade.”
Speaking in response to a question at the forum, attended by members of the UK & Ireland Chapter of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), President Mahama cited the Sinohydro agreement that exchanges the country’s bauxite for infrastructure development by China as a classic example of batter trade.
He further explained that if the Sinohydro agreement was a batter deal and went to Parliament for approval because it is an international financial transaction, why not the current deal in which Ghana’s gold is being exchanged for oil.
The former President noted that the deal is currently shrouded in complete secrecy with only government officials who are involved in the transaction knowing the details, describing the development as unacceptable.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
Bussiness
Ghana’s GDP shows economy is fast recovering despite DDEP – Finance Ministry
Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) indicates a rapid economic recovery despite global challenges and ongoing debt restructuring, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
The Ministry in a statement today indicated that latest data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), cumulative economic growth for the second quarter (Q2) of 2024 reached 6.9%, a notable increase from the 4.7% recorded in the first quarter of 2024.
The MoF statement further noted that, “The economy’s robust recovery is in response to the macroeconomic stability and growth interventions that government is pursuing under our IMF-supported Post Covid-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG).”
According to them, the overall real GDP growth for the first half of 2024 rebounded strongly, with year-on-year GDP growth averaging 5.8% for the period, significantly higher than the 2.9% recorded in the same period in 2023.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Read full statement below
Bussiness
Facebook, Youtube, online trading companies must be taxed – Deputy Finance Minister
The Deputy Finance Minister Dr Alex Ampaabeng, has proposed that online trading companies should be taxed to bolster the economy.
He noted that these companies, both local and international, generate significant revenue from their Ghanaian clients, which underscores the necessity for taxation.
In an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View, Dr Ampaabeng pointed out various potential revenue sources for Ghana, including online businesses and content creation companies.
He questioned why other national companies operating in Ghana are taxed, but social media platforms like Youtube and Facebook, which run numerous advertisements, are not included in the Ghanaian tax system.
According to him, these social media companies earn profits from the advertisements they display, and online trading companies also generate income from the sale of their products and services.
He mentioned online trading companies such as Jiji, Jumia, and Tonaton, which he believes surpass all physical marketplaces in Ghana in size.
According to him, “I can’t think of a country which has not gotten a digital service tax system of some sort, so Ghana is long overdue. Just to make an example so that people will appreciate where I’m coming from. Go to Youtube and play a video, within one or two minutes, you are going to watch about two, or three adverts.”
“What it tells you is that Facebook or Youtube is making profits right here in Ghana. Go to your Facebook account, and you are going to see a number of adverts on your right, left. What it is telling you is that Facebook is making profits right here in Ghana and not being taxed. Meanwhile, there are companies operating in Ghana, for jurisdiction reasons, of course, that are being taxed,” he said.
The Deputy Minister added that “So then, it comes to the question of the application of our tax laws. Revenues generated in Ghana are subject to taxes. We have Facebook, TikTok and all those players, these are digital platform owners.”
He stressed, “Then we have the digital or market players, here we are talking about individuals who are using the digital platforms. We have Jiji, Jumia, Tonaton, these combined, are bigger than all physical marketplaces in Ghana. And it tells you the volume of transactions, that are going on there.”
He expressed his hope that individuals earning online profits from Ghanaian residents would be taxed.
“There are conversations ongoing, I wouldn’t want to pre-empt anything, maybe in the future, it might not be anytime soon, what I would like to see, is a Ghana where people who are earning all forms of profits in the country are subject to taxes. People who are trading online to Ghanaian residents, people who are generating revenue from Ghana are allowed to pay taxes,” he noted.
Additionally, he proposed a collaboration with the government to curb cybercrime by registering and verifying these online trading companies.
“We can have a system where the government engages these operators, so individuals will submit their Ghana Card and are registered and verified,”he concluded.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
