Organised labour under the umbrella of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has officially written to the police on the upcoming demonstration, which is on February 13, against the 15 percent Value-added Tax (VAT) on electricity.
Workers have started wearing their red bags as the group today commence the first stage of series of actions lined up to put pressure on government to withdraw the 15 percent VAT on residential consumers above the lifeline threshold.
This comes at the back of reports that government has revoked the 15 percent VAT on electricity after an unanimous decision from Cabinet.
Meanwhile, Organised Labour said government has not written officially to them and thus the protest still holds.
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Speaking on News Night on Accra-based Joy FM, Deputy Secretary General of TUC, Joshua Ansah indicated that they cannot work with media reports and that government should officially confirm the rumours.
“We have not received any official communication from government. If Cabinet have met and taken that decision and there is rumour, government should confirm the statement in the public domain” he said.
“We cannot use social media information to convene a meeting with our members to stop the demonstration” he added.
The minority also demands the scrapping of the emissions levy and the 21 percent VAT on all non-insurance products imposed by the government.
Earlier this year the government directed the Electricity Company of Ghana to charge a 15 percent VAT on electricity. It later introduced the Emissions tax all in a bid to rake in revenue to meet International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) revenue requirements.
However, these taxes have generated a lot of controversy and public decry citing the economic burden they’ll have on Ghanaians and the dire implications on businesses.
The VAT on electricity forms part of the conditionalities the country signed up to with the IMF and some reports say government will be going back to the IMF to explore alternatives for revenue generation.
