The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has organized a stakeholders’ consultative forum to input the views of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and ordinary Ghanaians into the 2016—2018 budget.
The forum, which reviewed previous editions and how the views were captured in the 2014 budget brought together groups like ACEP, ISODEC, Peasant Farmers Association, SEND Ghana and many other associations.
Launching the forum, a Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Cassiel Ato Forson noted that government intends to make the budget a reflection of the will of ordinary Ghanaians.
He stated that involving CSOs will enhance transparency and improve accountability for economic development.
“The budget represents the expected revenue generation pattern and expenditure of government, this means that the people must show the key areas they want government to expend on in order to improve their livelihoods”, he said.
Responding to some questions on why some previous views were not captured, Mr. Forson explained that government required monetary commitment to implement some views propounded in the previous year.
Some stakeholders expressed their worries over the souring level of Government Budget deficit and its implications on the existing debt growth of the country.
They blamed the situation on the high level of Government expenditure as against the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the lack of effective and efficient revenue mobilization and collection strategies to increase the revenue levels of the country.
They therefore advised Government to urgently consider broadening its tax base to capture activities of the semi-informal sector.
A representative from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) called on Government to among other things, urgently address the current high unemployment situation, improve the quality of existing jobs, intensify measures to reduce government expenditure and reconsider investing more in the agricultural and industrial sectors.
Adding his voice to the need to focus on agriculture communities, the National Chairman of the Association of National Road Contractors, Mr. Joseph Ebo Hewton appealed to government to increase the inflow into the Road Fund in order to complete feeder roads that connect agriculture communities to the urban areas.
He pleaded with government to settle all arrears owed members of the association to enable them clear their debts at the banks.
Some participants also challenged Parliament to intensify its monitoring of the effective implementation of Government Budget.
