By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Ghana Plastic Manufacturers Association (GPMA), has issued a one-week ultimatum to the government to immediately suspend a newly imposed 5% excise tax on locally produced plastic products.
The Association maintains that if their demands for the immediate suspension of the newly imposed 5% excise tax on locally produced plastic products are unmet, manufacturers are prepared to shut down production for seven days to voice their displeasure.
Addressing journalists at a press conference, the President of the Ghana Plastic Manufacturers, Association, Mr. Ebbo Botwe, stressed the government’s urgency to reconsider its position as he called for renewed engagement with all stakeholders to prevent the potential economic fallout from this planned production shutdown.
“We are appealing to the vice president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to intervene in this matter because the effect of this consumer tax will affect the masses, the common man and the common woman will suffer extreme hardship.
In conclusion, we ask GRA to stop the harassment of plastic manufacturers. We give the Ministry of Finance one week to respond to our request, or we shall have no option but for all plastic manufacturers to shut down production for at least one week, and of course, we’ll send home over 30,00 workers,” Mr. Botwe threatened.
For his part, the President of the Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA), Dr Joseph Obeng, impressed upon the government to find innovative ways to meet its tax obligation rather than burdening local industries.
“The government is being insensitive to the business community. Let’s defer the implementation of the excise tax. The time is not right, and it’s not fair around this time where businesses are suffering from the effects of exchange rates and we are very much aware of this.
This is not the time to impose another tax when so many taxes have already been imposed on us. Is the government saying it does not care about the state of Ghanaian businesses?” he reiterated.
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