The Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has reassured that the Covid-19 levy will be abolished as promised by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He gave this reassurance while delivering the 2025 mid-year budget review in Parliament on Thursday, July 24.
“The Covid levy will be published,” he said.
In other matters, the Finance Minister also assured that the Mahama administration would ensure fiscal discipline in order to maintain the gains witnessed in the economy.
He stressed that sustaining the stability in the economy, especially with the local currency, will require fiscal discipline.
“We will maintain fiscal discipline through prudent policies,” he said.
Dr Forson also indicated that all the measures announced in the 2025 budget statement to stabilise the Cedi against the major trading currencies are yielding real results.
“We committed to establishing the Gold bod to support the stability of the Cedi,” he said. “These deliberate policies announced in the 2025 budget are yielding results,” he added.
“The Cedi performance in the first half of the year has been impressive,” he stressed.
The Finance Minister further said that interest and inflation rates have dropped drastically, reflecting improved macro conditions.
Similarly, he said, the Cedi has demonstrated an exceptional resilience in recent months.
“We have made significant progress; the signs of recovery are visible,” he said.
Dr Forson accused the central bank under the Akufo-Addo administration of driving inflation to unseen levels.
Unlike the Akufo-Addo administration, he said, President Mahama has chosen the path of structural reforms and transformation.
Dr Forson also accused the previous Akufo-Addo administration of incompetence in the management of the economy.”
Dr Forson further said that the signs of economic recovery under President John Dramani Mahama are visible for everyone to see. He said that at the time the Mahama administration took over governance on January 7, the economy was struggling.
He said they inherited a weak financial sector with significant non-performing loans. Also, he said, they inherited a derailing IMF programme.
“Indeed, as President Mahama said, the whole of Ghana was a crime scene,” he said during the mid-year budget presentation.
