Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has admitted that there is no money to pay government teachers.
He said although demand by public sector workers for salary increment is legitimate, the government has no money at the moment to meet the demands hence efforts to generate domestic revenue.
Speaking in Wa in the Upper West Region during the fourth townhall meeting on the E-levy, on Monday February 21, he said “I look at teachers and civil servants for example, and I will be the first to admit that the salaries are indecent, nobody will argue with that. At the same time, it is 60 per cent of all the revenue we collect from 700,000 people [go into salary payment,] that is also a fact.
“So yes, there is a legitimate demand for more and there is a legitimate reality that there is no money. So what do we do as a society? Then you ask me to give you more salary, which is fine, then I say but it is your colleague civil servant who collect the money collecting the money, so how can you responsible for collecting the money , not collect it and then tell me to give you the money. That will be another issue.”
He reiterated the need for Ghanaians to support moves by the Akufo-Addo-led government to impose a tax on electronic transactions.
Source: TheBBCghana.Com
