Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta
Information available to the Daily Statesman indicates that the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning-designate, Ken Ofori-Atta, has released some GHC1.2 billion as part payment for the Covid-19 relief covering the free provision of electricity and water to Ghanaians since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Among them were the provision of free water and electricity supply for the citizenry and reduction in the Communication Service Tax from nine to five per cent.
Payment
To keep the lights on from the period the pandemic hit the nation till now, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has at least received over GHC1billion as part payment for the free power it supplied to Ghanaians.
Some GHC1.8 billion was budgeted by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for the provision of free electricity and water to the citizenry.
Resilience
Analysts believe it was the pragmatic plans put in place by the Ken Ofori-Atta led Ministry of Finance that has made all these expenditure possible, in the midst of a massive drop in revenues, including a significant decline of $1.6 billion in crude oil export receipts on the back of low prices.
Robust reforms rolled out at the Ghana Revenue Authority, under Mr Ken Ofori Atta’s watch, is deemed to have helped in the collection of GHC45,338.69 million, an indication that the revenue authority only missed its target by some GHC1.9 billion (GHC1,915.26 million) despite the ranging effects of Covid-19 on all sectors of the economy.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning-designate has been commended for how he has protected the public purse, by being resourceful in keeping the government machinery running, paying teachers who never worked for at least nine months and still managed to grow the economy by at least 0.9 per cent in the midst of the pandemic.
Caring government
In the 2020 Mid-Year Budget to Parliament, Mr Ofori-Atta announced extension of free water and electricity supplies to consumers. He reminded Ghanaians at the time that “It takes a caring government of the people, and with that I mean a Government of all the people, to offer cost-free water to all across the country”.
He again averted the minds of Ghanaians to the fact that it takes a caring government “to be for the people and for business, large and small”.
He hinted in his last budget statement to Parliament that lifeline electricity consumers and households whose water usage do not exceed five cubic metres per month would not pay for the utilities for the months of January, February and March, 2021.
Mr Ofori-Atta further announced that the relief package would be reviewed at the end of March, 2021.
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