Monies For Development Do Not Drop From Heaven - Fifi Kwetey

The Minister of State in charge of Financial and Allied Institutions is incensed by the decision of the minority to walk out of Parliament in protest over the 2.5 per cent increase in the Value Added Tax. Fifi Kwetey says the minority members cannot claim to want development and lobby for it in their respective constituencies and walk out of Parliament during the passing of a bill that will bring in money for development. "You can't eat your cake and have it," Kwetey said on Asempa FM's Ekosi-Sen programme Friday, adding, "monies for development do not drop from heaven, they come from taxes." A one-sided Parliament on Friday passed the VAT bill into law, increasing the VAT threshold by 2.5 per cent in the process. The Minority walked out in protest accusing the Majority in Parliament and government of pushing the bill through without any debate or input from the minority. Deputy Minority Leader Dominic Nitiwul later told Asempa FM that within "30 seconds" a major bill such as the increase in VAT rate had been passed into law without any debate. He said even though the minority had been privy and was actually involved in the discussion of the VAT bill, nowhere in the bill mentioned a 2.5 per cent increase in the threshold. He accused government of smuggling the 2.5 per cent increase into the bill, swearing, the minority will resist the implementation of the new law. In a reaction, Fifi Kwetey said the minority is telling an obvious lie and is dabbling in "political hypocrisy, political lies and gymnastics." He said the minority cannot feign ignorance about the 2.5 per cent increase when a high ranking member of the minority, Dr Akoto Osei is aware and has given his approval. He was even more angry with the decision by the minority to oppose the tax increase. Citing countries like Singapore, US and other developed countries, Kwetey said those countries are well developed because they collect taxes from the people and use it for development purposes. He charged the minority and Ghanaians to "stop playing the ostrich" and support the government in its bid to develop the country.