President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Joseph Kweku Obeng, has criticised First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei-Owusu, stating that he has no moral authority to criticise traders.
According to Dr Obeng, Mr Osei-Owusu’s position on the government payroll has contributed to the high government expenditure, which is one of the reasons for the introduction of the three new taxes.
Dr Obeng further stated that Mr Osei-Owusu has received ex-gratia payments several times, which have covered his personal expenses and contributed to the high government budget.
He went on to criticise Mr Osei-Owusu’s recent remarks about traders, which he says impugned the integrity of GUTA and its members. Dr. Obeng believes that Mr Osei-Owusu’s comments were an indictment of the entire country, and that he has no moral right to condemn traders.
“He made certain utterances that taint our integrity. You cannot make a general statement about traders that GUTA and its members are dishonest and do not pay taxes at the port. His statement is very unfortunate and an indictment on the whole country.
“If he suggested that we decrease the prices of goods, we won’t have had any problems. He did not even recognise that taxes accumulate on the pricing. When there is high inflation rate and prices are high, it affects the market negatively,” he added.
Dr Obeng stated that if Mr Osei-Owusu had suggested a decrease in prices, traders would have had no issue.
However, Mr Osei-Owusu did not recognise the impact of taxes on pricing, and high inflation rates and prices negatively affect the market.
As a result of Mr Osei-Owusu’s comments, GUTA has demanded an apology from the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
GUTA has also pointed out that its members collaborate with the government to issue policies that benefit Ghanaians. They emphasised that GUTA has the right to voice its concerns on national issues, particularly those related to the economy.