Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG), has kicked against government’s decision to remove taxes on locally produced sanitary pads as captured in the 2024 ‘Nkunim’ budget statement.
The group has slammed individuals and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who sternly advocated for taxes on these menstrual hygienic products to be removed.
The tireless advocacies by individuals and CSOs were crowned in the government’s 2024 budget statement read on Wednesday November 15, by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
In the budget, Mr. Ofori-Atta announced that taxes will be removed on raw materials used to produce sanitary pads locally.
This move aims at easing the financial burden of menstrual hygiene for Ghanaian women and encouraging local production of sanitary pads.
However, the Traders Advocacy Group thinks otherwise. They contend that the prices of these menstrual hygienic products would rather increase astronomically.
General Secretary of TAGG, Nana Poku, who was reacting to the tax exemption in an interview with Onua News questioned the government’s decision to give a tax waiver on locally produced sanitary pads.
“I don’t know what informed the government’s decision to remove the taxes on sanitary pads and what is the proof that the local companies can meet the demand of sanitary pads in Ghana?
“These local companies cannot meet the demand let alone to talk of quality of their products. So, there is going to be a serious scarcity of these menstrual hygiene products which will then compel them to increase the price,” he reiterated.
Nana Poku maintained that the trading community, instead anticipated the government to reduce shipping fees, remove nuisance taxes as well as taking a critical look at mind-numbing processes traders had to go through at the port.
Government’s failure to take these bold decisions in the budget to cushion traders according to him, is going to have an adverse effect on prices of goods and services.
He, thus, cautioned the general public to prepare for undue hardship in the country as prices of goods are going to be increased prodigiously to safeguard their livelihoods.
Story by Maxwell Otoo|OnuaFM|Onuaonline.com
