November 24, 2017//-A meeting between officials from the Vice president’s office and the leadership and traders at Suame Magazine/ industrial area in Kumasi ended in a deadlock due to hitches on the part of the government.
The aggrieved spare parts dealers were invited by Vice President, Dr. Muhamudu Bawumia following complaints their businesses are on the verge of collapsing under the Akufo-Addo government.
Following Nhyira FM’s reports, the leadership were invited to meet Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia who is also head of the country’s economic management team.
However, the host Nhyira FM’s morning show, Aduanaba Kofi Asante Ennin who was part of the delegation to the invited to the Flagstaff House reports the meeting ended inconclusively
“It was inconclusive because some of the concerns raised at the meeting were new to the government”, Aduanaba Kofi Asante Ennin disclosed.
Meanwhile, the leadership of Ashanti Owners Business Association (AOBA) are saying the 3% flat VAT rate introduced by the current government is not helpful but rather killing their businesses.
According to Nana Mensah Yeboah, a known New Patriotic Party (NPP) sympathizer at Suame Magazine industrial area in Kumasi, the 3% flat rate is making it impossible for members to import goods into the country.
“Since this NPP government introduced the 3% flat VAT rate we cannot afford our import duty”, he revealed on Nhyira FM’s morning show
“Everybody knows I am a card bearing member of NPP but I have to tell the realities”, Nana Yeboah Mensah told host Kofi Asante Ennin on “Kroyimunsem” show.
According to the brother of the Majority Leader and Parliamentary Affairs , Hon. Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu a lot of businesses are going to fold up if the trend continues for another ten months.
“I can tell you more of us will soon get out of businesses because of bad government policies”, he stated admonishing the government to sit up.
Meanwhile, spare parts dealers in Accra are set to stage a demonstration against the government over rising tax on the importation of spare parts into the country.
According to a leading member for the Abossey Okai Spare Parts Importers Association, Kwabena Agyei, could not understand why ‘Adwuma’ Budget, announcement by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta that import duties on spare parts have been abolished but still import duties have soared significantly.
“During the 2017 budget, we were made to understand that taxes on importation of spare parts into the have been waved off, but was not so. Instead, the taxes have gone high, we do not understand. What does the government take us for? We are going to demonstrate against the government, closed all our shops, and people will realize our importance in the country,” he said.
Kwabena Agyei said the demonstration would involve second hand parts dealers from Abossey Okai and Kokompe in Accra, which are the hubs of the spare parts business in the capital.
Though he did not give date for the demonstration, he said they will put on red bands to meet president Nana Akuffo Addo at the Flagstaff House very soon to present their grievances.
“We would put on red bands and demonstrated against him (Nana Addo) if he fails to address our concerns, then we will know that the president has deceived us. Let him not forget that we (spare parts dealers) contributed to his success,” he warned.
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