The Food and Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG) has called upon government to immediately withdraw the Emissions Levy because its introduction is premature.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the association, Rev John Awuni, stated that the Emissions Levy is premature and will not achieve its desired results, however, the aspect of the tax that affects the industry is highly insensitive and anti-business.
“In as much as the Carbon Emissions tax sounds nice in theory, its introduction is premature in Ghana and hence cannot achieve its desired objectives. The tax is going to simply raise the cost of production, create avenues for corruption and disturb the already acidic business environment”, Awuni said.
FABAG emphasized that carbons emitted by an industry cannot be measured accurately and this will result in corruption in terms of data collection.
“For instance, how are carbons emitted by industries through their manufacturing processes going to be measured? Who measures it? How will the measurement be reported to ensure that there is no corruption in the collection of the data and right fees are paid to the government? Even the bonded warehouses system where officers of govemment daily man the gates of the warehouses failed in delivering its set-up objectives. How can carbons emitted by an industry be measured accurately to ensure that neither the government nor the industrial player is cheated? The Carbon Emission tax is just going to make a few people rich at the expense of the consumer and the Republic,” FABAG added.
Read FABAG’s full statement below:
