By: Emmanuel Amoah
The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has urged the political class to refrain from politicizing the government’s decision to grant tax exemptions to companies under the One-District, One-Factory (1D1F) initiative.
According to Afenyo-Markin, such exemptions are crucial to helping Ghanaian businesses become more competitive within the West African sub-region.
Speaking during the conclusion of a two-day extraordinary parliamentary session last Wednesday, he expressed disappointment over the political disputes surrounding these tax breaks. He emphasized that depriving companies with significant potential to boost the nation’s economy of critical tax incentives hampers their growth.
“If we are truly committed to the progress of our country, we must abandon these political trivialities. We should prioritize national interests and support the development of our businesses,” he urged.
Afenyo-Markin further remarked, “It is unacceptable to undermine businesses, thinking that we can simply reset things when we come into power. By doing so, we are essentially destroying our own economic foundation.”
He called on his fellow parliamentarians to rise above partisan differences, stating, “We are elected to lead, and we can do better than this. While disagreements are inevitable, they should not come at the cost of destroying the livelihoods of those who believe in our policies and operate within our economy.”
The Majority Leader expressed concern over Parliament’s failure to approve a series of tax exemptions for companies under the 1D1F program. The House was expected to approve these exemptions, but political disagreements prevented their endorsement.
