Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin has hailed his colleagues on the Minority side of being corporative despite their firm criticisms on issues.
According to him on Accra-based Asaase Radio monitored by MyNewsGh.com, the controversial e-levy is what appears to have sharply divided them but noted that they on other things found a common ground with the majority New Patriotic Party(NPP)
“The minority is doing what they are supposed to do. You don’t expect the Minority in Parliament to be supporting you all the time but in all sincerity and to be fair to them, they have been very corporative. Of course, there are party positions on this our e-levy thing…they have their party position”. He revealed on the show.
According to him the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmakers initially were coming board ahead of the passage of the E-levy until the decision of zero tolerance by the party overtook them
“Initially, they were getting on board, they were suggesting percentages that they were for one percent, we negotiated they were amenable to a little above one percent, we discussed threshold and all these discussions we had their MPs and external party leaders coming in. Along the line, they also did some political calculations for some good reasons or whatever…they are looking at the 2024 elections and felt that they should not share political risks with us. Obviously, taxation is not anything any citizen will want to be happy with. I am sure politically they might have done their own calculations and felt like we should resign and that is why when their Minority Leader made a public announcement, they quickly went for his head and he had to now say zero tolerance. But apart from this e-levy that we are having issues with which we are still negotiating and engaging each other, they have been corporative. Firm in their criticism but I think they also appreciate the fact that government business must continue”, he added.
Source:MyNewsGh.com
