Former Deputy Finance Minister, Fifi Kwetey, has said the Akufo-Addo-led government is too proud to admit its mistakes in the implementation of the free Senior High School (SHS) programme.
According to him, government is struggling to raise revenue to finance the flagship programme, yet officials of the administration are unable to tell Ghanaians this difficulty.
The Ketu South MP’s comments come on the heels of suggestions by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta that the free SHS policy must be implemented discriminatorily so that those who have the means, pay for their children’s second-cycle education.
Mr Ofori-Atta, speaking to Citi TV, said: “I don’t think it [Free SHS] is something any of us can compromise on”, adding that: “It may be that there have to be changes in the way in which we are administering it”.
“I can’t take my child to Achimota or Odorgonno and then leave him or her and drive away and Ken Ofori-Atta not pay anything while I can pay for 10 people. … You need to get the data to then be discriminatory in how and who pays and who doesn’t pay”, he said.
Speaking about the next academic year, he said: “You actually going to have, maybe, 180,000 more people but it’s so important, you’d rather make that mistake – if it is a mistake – to get everybody in the system for the nation to then begin to have a conversation and say: ‘OK, this is good for us because we want that human capital and to a certain level, but maybe let’s begin to adjust it this way’”
But in a discussion on Metro TV’s Business Edition on Tuesday, 24 July, Mr Kwetey noted that: “Until the introduction of the free SHS, rich people were paying taxes and yet they were still paying the fees of their own children. Now you come and claim that you want to relieve everybody including the rich and then you say they should not pay anything for the education of their wards.
“Then a year on, you come and tell us that you want to do a progressive tax. The reason for the progressive taxes they introduced in the mid-year budget is because the burden of the free SHS has become such a herculean burden that they can’t carry anymore.
“Instead of just being honest with the people of Ghana and telling them that all of you rich people who used to pay the school fees of your children, we want you to start paying and that we can’t continue this burden, they are too proud, they don’t want to own up to this mistake and now they are hiding under progressive taxation. They should be more candid to the people.”
Source: classfmonline.com
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So this small boy too was a deputy finance minister? What experience has he got in life? One of the babies with sharp teeth..... No wonder the NDC mess up the economy.... He was only interested in his double salary and double ex-gratia...... Free SHS will succeed and the beneficiaries will never vote NDC again......
MR MP DOUBLE DOUBLE SALARY, SPECIAL PROSECUTOR IS COMING ***barred word*** AND KEEP YOUR KOOL OOOOOOOOOOOOO
who says Ghana's current tax system is not progressive?
Fiifi Kwettey, if you don't sh*t your fu*cking mouth your naturalization will be revoked, you weren't born in Ghana, you came to enjoy the hospitality of our country and if you want us to accept your arrogance and disrespectful and turn to insult us of being arrogant then from here to TOGO is just a walking distance,just leave and go! we can't have a cane that is longer than us. Ghana belong to Ghanaians and we will not allow our hospitality to be taking for granted , instead of being in the private sector to show what you can do for this country to benefit from you,you chose to be in the public sector for Ghana to take care of you, parasite with no shame. It us about time our borders choose true Ghanaians to represent them than giving the chance to foreigners who will one day run to their respective country with the benefit they got rendering true Ghanaians paupers.
wow wow wow. how NDC is praying and fasting for the failure of the policy. small hitch and they will come out even those in hibernation. it will fall on your head and you meet saaatan in h3ll
The Former Dep Finance Minister does not realise that by taxing the rich more to fund Free SHS in effect those who can pay are paying for the education of all. It is easier to manage it this way than saying those who can pay should deposit money somewhere or into a certain account. That option can be disastrous because it could be subject to abuse and very difficult to monitor. The new income tax band is a smart way to handle this issue in my opinion. People will soon appreciate it. The NDC is always calling for dialogue on the SHS because they want to be credited with something. They can submit a paper on the subject matter though if they want.
Oh my woorrdd! The NDC thinks free SHS means nobody pays for it? When I give you a free ride - to you it is indeed free; but I paid for the fuel. That's how life works, my brother. Welcome to Life 101
So what then will we call the flagship program? Tax SHS OR FREE SHS. YOU claim your be doing free shs, yet you increase my tax to finance it. You want SHS to be discriminatory and you want us to still call it free SHS. Jokers led by a weed smoker.
Mr Kwartey, see, progressive taxation is a smarter way of funding the system than saying "all of you rich people who used to pay the school fees of your children, we want you to start paying and that we can’t continue this burden". I mean how do you do that? How do the children whose parents don't pay fees feel amongst their peers whose parents pay? Progressive taxation is what all progressive nations do. We're building a nation, saving our children - economically, socially and psychologically - and making sure we build a future of confident, inclusive Ghana. Please we beg you, stay in opposition for us. NDC nearly brought Ghana to its knees when you were in power (we still remember ministries of finance and agric matter...)