Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has outlined some moves geared towards cushioning the citizenry.
This is a result of what the Minister describes as efforts to give significant relief to the private sector until expenditure pressures.
Regarding the Revenue Measures, he said, “Notwithstanding the efforts made by the Government so far, there still exists a significant VAT gap that needs to be urgently addressed to improve revenue performance. In this respect, the following measures will be put in place: i. the Commissioner-General’s certified invoice will be the basis for all deductible expenses for income tax purposes;
ii. the second phase of the electronic invoicing system (e-VAT) covering six hundred large taxpayers and more than two thousand small and medium taxpayers will be implemented;
iii. the implementation of the upfront VAT on imports of Vatable goods by unregistered importers will continue;
iv. A VAT flat rate of 5 percent will replace the 15 percent standard VAT rate on all commercial properties will be introduced to simplify administration and enhance revenue mobilisation; and v. some VAT exemptions will also be reviewed to reduce distortions and
abuses in the system.”
On the Expenditure Measures, the Finance Minister said “the following key expenditure measures will be pursued in line with the IMF supported programme to support the Government’s fiscal consolidation process:
“Amendment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act to enhance budget credibility, underpin lasting fiscal discipline and improve Fiscal Policy oversight. Develop a centralised inventory of all ongoing and planned public investment projects to strengthen budget credibility, exercise commitment control, and prevent the accumulation of spending arrears. The inventory will include information on: Nature and age profile of all ongoing projects including project start, completion dates, and estimate of project completion (%); ➢ Source of financing (domestic vs external);
➢ Financing resources spent to date and additional financing required; ➢ List of priority projects planned and ongoing projects and the required multi-year budget allocation (showing annual funding requirement); and ➢ List of non-priority projects and their proposed treatment (suspend them temporarily or permanently), Enable ‘Blanket Purchase Agreement’ to fully capture multi-year commitments / contracts in Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), in line with the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) ceilings to strengthen spending controls and prevent accumulation of arrears.
“Integrate Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) with GIFMIS and the Payroll system to strengthen control on ‘ghost names’, promotions, hiring and payroll costs. Align the quarterly allotments with a cash forecast and tighten the use of allotments as a control on the GIFMIS rather than the budget (starting from Q1- 2024). Implement Government’s strategy to streamline earmarked funds to improve operational efficiency of each to ensure value for money and reduce budget rigidities.”
Find the full list below:
- Extend zero rate of VAT on locally manufactured African prints for two (2) more years;
2. Waive import duties on import of electric vehicles for public transportation for a period of 8 years;
3. Waive import duties on semi-knocked down and completely knocked down Electric vehicles imported by registered EV assembly companies in Ghana for a period of 8 years;
4. Extend zero rate of VAT on locally assembled vehicles for 2 more years;
5. Zero rate VAT on locally produced sanitary pads;
6. Grant import duty waivers for raw materials for the local manufacture of sanitary pads;
7. Grant exemptions on the importation of agricultural machinery equipment and inputs and medical consumables, raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry;
8. A VAT flat rate of 5 percent to replace the 15 percent standard VAT rate on all commercial properties will be introduced to simplify administration.