{"id":13805,"date":"2023-11-19T12:43:52","date_gmt":"2023-11-19T12:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=13805"},"modified":"2023-11-20T11:13:08","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T11:13:08","slug":"budget-2024-is-full-of-fairy-tales-mp-for-prestea-huni-valley-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expressnewsghana.com\/?p=13805","title":{"rendered":"Budget 2024 is full of Fairy Tales \u2013 MP for Prestea Huni\/Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Prestea Huni\/Valley, Hon Robert Wisdom Cudjoe has said the 2024 budget statement and economic policy presented by the Minister for Finance is full of fairy tales.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to him, the country\u2019s economy cannot be built by lofty promises without a tangible development agenda with available resources.<\/p>\n

Hon Cudjoe said this in an interview with EXPRESSNEWSGHANA in reaction to the budget statement and economic policy presented to Parliament by the Minister for Finance, on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.<\/p>\n

He said the budget failed to address fundamental.issues affecting the country and expressed his disappointment on the fact that the Mining company, FGR Mines that the government relied on to help complete some road projects in Bogoso area itself needed support.<\/p>\n

Hon Cudjoe also expressed concern about the continued destruction of the environment by illegal miners with impunity as officials of the Forest Commission looked unconcerned.<\/p>\n

He described the government\u2019s 2024 budget as complete empty paper, saying, \u201cI cannot see anything appealing in the budget as it won\u2019t help alleviate the current burden on Ghanaians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finance Minister presenting 2024 budget
\nFinance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta presented the 2024 budget in Parliament on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.<\/p>\n

Among other things, he said Ghana\u2019s economy, which plummeted in recent years, had begun making modest gains.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ofori Atta cited, for instance, that the country\u2019s inflation has started declining because the economy is performing better.<\/p>\n

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Finance Minister presenting 2024 budget<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Mr. Cudjoe said, \u201cIn terms of the contents, I don\u2019t think there is anything to write home about. There is nothing exciting about the budget. It is business as usual, rhetoric, things they will do. If they haven\u2019t been able to do it in the last seven years, I am wondering how they are going to do it in one year, now that things are much harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

He further noted, \u201cthe so-called removal of tax from one component and increasing the other side, does not reduce poverty, does not reduce hardship. Most of these things are already on subsidies, so there is nothing new. They should simply prepare to leave by December 7, 2024\u2033<\/p>\n

\u201d So you can understand why we the Minority don\u2019t think that this government will be retained. So this is their bye-bye budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c We will study it and during the debates on the estimates, we will unwrap every figure , whether taxs or subsidy, whatever, we will expose them,\u201d he added.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Prestea Huni-Valley lawmaker believed the budget failed to address issues on roads, Galamsey, and other economic matters, arguing that the year of roads has become a ritual failed propaganda and nothing is new in the budget to salvage the Akufo-Adoo -Bawumiq government.<\/p>\n