Ghana: Labour Unions Fix February 13 To Protest Against Imposition Of VAT On Electricity

Labour unions under the umbrella of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Ghana have set February 13, 2024, to embark on a nationwide demonstration against the government’s imposition of a 15 per cent VAT on electricity consumption beyond the lifeline threshold of 0-30kWh.

The Secretary-General of TUC, Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, announced this on Friday at a press conference in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

He had in the previous week issued a 7-day ultimatum to the country’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to withdraw a letter directing power distribution companies– ECG and NEDCo–to charge VAT on electricity consumption.

A statement issued by the Finance Ministry earlier this week indicated that there was going to be an extensive dialogue on the matter and urged the labour unions and the power distribution companies to exercise restraint.

However, the labour unions seemed not to be ready for any dialogue which is likely to get them to buy into the policy.

“In our earlier statement, we said if by the 31st of January 2024, the government had not withdrawn its directive, we would advise ourselves.

So, this afternoon, we’ve met here and we’ve advised ourselves.

It is that advice that we will communicate to the President.

“Our advice is straightforward.

We have advised ourselves that this government is taking us for granted, so we are going to lead massive demonstrations in all the 16 regional capitals of Ghana on 13th February,” Dr Yaw Baah stated.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com