Mid-Year Budget, A Document Of Manifesto Promises – Ato Forson

The former Deputy Finance Minister in the erstwhile Mahama Administration, Hon Cassiel Ato Forson prefers to call the 2020 mid-year budget review a ‘year of borrowing’ rather than accept it as a ‘year of roads’.

Explaining to the media after the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta presented the Mid-year budget review to Parliament, Mr Ato Forson indicated that the Akufo-Addo government has been borrowing indiscriminately in the name of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He maintained that the Akufo-Addo government cannot account for the usage of all the loans it had borrowed; thus, the NPP Administration has spent over Ghc11.1 billion on coronavirus without accounting for it.

“It is clear that they have increased the public debt. As of June 30, 2020, the public debt had risen from ¢120 billion to ¢255 billion and they are going to borrow additional ¢30 billion to increase the public debt to approximately ¢280 billion,” he stated.

He adding, “this clearly shows that this is a failing government.”

Mr Forson who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam constituency also described the budget review as a document of “manifesto promises’.

This, according to him, is unacceptable since the Akufo-Addo administration has consistently failed the people of Ghana.

“There is nothing in this document for us to be proud of. And we in the minority want to serve notice that from Monday we are ready to debate this and subject it to the scrutiny that it deserves.

“Because it has nothing but it bring to the ordinary Ghanaian pain and hardship because there is nothing in this budget that will alleviate our suffering.”