Minority says the budget is empty, uninspiring, hopeless

The Minority in Parliament has described the 2019 budget presented by the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, as empty, uninspiring and hopeless, as it does not offer any measures to reduce the suffering and hardship of Ghanaians.

It said the budget failed to spell out measures to rescue companies from collapse and stop the increasing lay-off of workers, while the economic targets for 2019 were not achievable.

Besides, it said, the budget was anchored on more borrowings which would tie the hands of successive governments.

The Minority Leader and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South, Mr Haruna Iddrisu; the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament and Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, and the NDC MP for Ketu South and former Minister of Transport, Mr Fifi Kwetey, made the observations yesterday in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic after Mr Ofori-Atta had presented the 2019 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government in Parliament.

More borrowings

Mr Iddrisu said the budget was uninspiring, as it was anchored more on borrowing, adding that borrowing was the cheapest way to govern.

"Until today, based on the Ken Ofori-Atta economic renewal prophecy, I did not think that there is pride in borrowing.

The national debt has increased from GH¢120 billion to GH¢c170 billion and he is hiding behind the rebasing of the economy as an improved performance of debt to gross domestic product (GDP) in terms of debt distress management," he said.

Mr Iddrisu said arguably the National Democratic Congress (NDC), under President John Dramani Mahama, had superior debt