E-Levy, Luxurious Private Jet Travels: Joy News’ Samson Anyenini Takes On Akufo-Addo

• Samson Anyenini has taken on Nana Akufo-Addo with his 'Samson's Take', which precedes his current affairs programme, Newsfile
• The private legal practitioner and lawyer has urged the president to make the governance systems functional and effective
• Presenting his opinion piece titled "Non-functional, ineffective systems, real security threat," Samson Ayenini kicked against the president's recent trip to the US via an expensive private jet

Private legal practitioner and journalist Samson Lardy Anyenini has criticised President Nana Akufo-Addo for jetting off to the US to attend church shortly after introducing austerity measures and assenting the controversial E-Levy.

President Nana Akufo-Addo reportedly resumed his preference for expensive and luxurious private jet travels shortly after passing the E-Levy and introducing strict measures to defeat the hardships in the economy.

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According to opposition MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who has been a close follower of the president’s private jet travels, the president last week travelled to the United States of America and the United Kingdom via the $18,000 per hour LX-DIO private jet.

Although the president’s private jet travels have variously been condemned as extravagant and unnecessary, the use of the luxurious mode of transport remains his favourite.

Presenting his weekly didactic opinion piece, ‘Samson’s Take’, which precedes his Newsfile current affairs programme, Mr Anyenini urged the president and his appointees to make the systems work.

Making his points in a piece titled ‘Non-functional, ineffective systems, real security threat’, the 2019 GJA Journalist of the Year outlined many problems that threaten Ghana’s current peace.

“Suffering citizens breaking their backs to survive the harsh realities of the broke economy and teaming jobless youth saw the President jet off to attend church in America a day after talking austerity, banning wasteful travels by state officials, and saddling them with a stealth E-Levy on their already taxed income,” he said.

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The respected senior journalist also told the president that if he was serious about fighting corruption, he must not find it okay to appoint MPs to serve on boards.

“And for now, with the exception of MP Ministers who must serve by virtue of statutory compliance, it is surprising why no MP refuses such appointment.

“The President refuses to listen to the CDD on this clear conflict of interest situation. Just how do these MPs oversight the institutions they serve as board members,” he said.

Mr Anyenini also took on the Legislature when he stated that the work of the hung 8th Parliament is greatly affected by MPs who absent themselves from the House for many months without permission “and without any consequences.”

“The poorly paid civil servant who doesn’t get ‘free money’ for a V-8, free fuel, or fat allowances for doing the job for which they are employed to do or ex-gratia may get punished or sacked for staying out of work for a day or two without permission,” he observed.

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E-Levy Implementation To Start In May After Akufo-Addo Signs Bill Into Law

President Nana Akufo-Addo quickly signed the controversial E-Levy into law yesterday, March 31, 2022, paving the way for the start of its implementation in May this year.

In Ghana, a bill passed in Parliament can only become law after the president signs to give it official approval.

Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, had said earlier that the Electronic Transfer Levy implementation would start at the beginning of May this year.

Source: YEN.com.gh