You can’t proudly say you are a taxpayer if you pay indirect tax – Saaka Salia

Member of the communications team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Saaka Salia has said paying of indirect taxes cannot to be equate to the paying of real taxes.

According to him, indirect tax can be paid by anybody including foreigners hence citizens who pay indirect taxes cannot proudly say they are taxpayers.

Saaka Salia was speaking on Good Morning Africa on Pan African TV on Tuesday, January 4, monitored by GhanaPlus.com.

“As  for that one is everywhere, we even pay indirect tax to the people of the US so that one is not tax per say. That is not the kind of tax that you can proudly say I am a taxpayer. That one anybody at all, even a foreigner who is passing through Ghana pay tax so you cannot come and say that maybe I have been buying pure water while on transit, I have been paying tax for Ghanaians . No, we are talking about people who pay real tax , direct tax and am saying that they are only 12%,” he said responding to but we pay indirect tax comment made by the host of the programme,”.

He made the comment while contributing to discussions on a 0.2% mobile money tax introduced by the Cameroonian government.

The tax similar to the one sought by the Ghanaian government to introduce took effect from Saturday, January 1,  2022 and sparked agitations across the length and breath of the country, social media most especially.

Their 0.20 tax was applicable to mobile money transfers and withdrawals.

“Dear valued client, in the application of the Finance Law, starting 01 January 2022, a 0.20 tax is applied to transfers and withdrawals. Thanks for your understanding,” a text message from a mobile network operator communicating the news reads.

African’s don’t like paying taxes- Saaka Salia

Reacting to the news, Saaka Salia said Cameroonians, like Ghanaians and citizens of many African countries detest the idea of paying taxes however, hound their governments for developments.

“And people don’t like paying tax and they are the very people who will want government to do their bidding and I have always say that you put your money where your mouth is. You cannot be shouting everyday that be prosecuting developmental agenda, do our roads for us, do ABCD, pay our school fees, pay our NABCO trainees, do A and B and when government ask that you also do your responsibility as a citizen that you that you say noo noo, we will go on demonstration, we won’t pay,” he added.

“You won’t pay? And you want development to continue? So it cut across the globe especially, Africa. I don’t think that the likes of Norway, US and other places are better than Ghana but it is because their citizens pay taxes and they use the taxes prudently to manage their own affairs. Now when people want to evade or to run away from tax then they will go and hid behind oh, I mean, they don’t use the money. well when money is paid people use it, corruption and all that,” Saaka Salia bemoaned.

Source: GhanaPlus.com