CLOGSAG declares withdrawal of 15% VAT directive as ‘only condition to stop’ their demonstration 

Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), Isaac Bampoe-Addo, has declared that the planned nationwide demonstration by Organised Labour is inevitable unless the government takes immediate action to withdraw a contentious directive.

Speaking in an interview, Mr Bampoe-Addo asserted that no institution, particularly the Ghana Police Service, has the authority to prevent their planned street protest on the scheduled date of February 13.

“I can assure you that the only thing that can stop us is the withdrawal of this letter. The law is saying we should just notify the police; the police cannot tell us not to go on our demonstration, so we are just notifying them,” stated Bampoe-Addo emphatically,” he said on JoyNews.

At the heart of the brewing conflict is the Finance Ministry’s directive to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) to implement a 15% Value Added Tax (VAT) on residential electricity consumption. Bampoe-Addo emphasized that the only resolution to prevent the planned demonstration is for the government to retract this directive.

“The only thing that can stop this demonstration from happening is when the government, through the Finance Ministry, withdraws this letter directing ECG and NEDCO to implement 15% VAT on electricity,” he added during the Sunday interview.

Bampoe-Addo warned that his association, joined by 35 other organised labor unions, is prepared to embark on a mammoth demonstration should the government refuse to reconsider the VAT implementation.

This statement follows the steadfast opposition of organised labor unions against the 15% VAT on residential electricity consumption, expressing concerns that such measures would exacerbate the financial burdens faced by citizens.

On the same show, Prof Mamudu Akudugu, the President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), dismissed claims that workers are being unfair to the government. According to Akudugu, it is the citizens who are feeling the brunt of excessive taxes, stating, “It is the other way round since the populace is being suffocated by taxes.”

As the February 13 demonstration date looms large, the standoff between Organised Labour and the government intensifies, raising questions about the potential impact on public services and the broader socio-economic landscape in Ghana. The nation watches closely as tensions escalate, awaiting developments that could shape the trajectory of this highly charged situation.