CONFUSION ROCKS AKUFO ADDO OVER “419” PROMISE TO HEALTH Workers

The governing party has been caught in a fix, following promises made by President Akufo Addo that the government was giving all health workers a three-month tax holiday on their incomes and other juicy packages.

President Akufo Addo however appears to have taken a “double take” at the implication of the promise and has ordered a sifting through “that makes sense for everybody.”

The incentives were reportedly meant to motivate all health workers in fighting the deadly Covid-19 coronavirus in Ghana.

However, shortly after the President’s statement on April 5, 2020, the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu held a press conference to rubbish the President’s promise saying that only frontline health workers will enjoy the tax break.

The confusion has therefore forced President Akufo Addo to Tuesday admit to the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) that his government is yet to define who “Frontline Health Workers” are as a pre-qualification for the financial incentives.

On April 7, 2020 the GMA wrote to the Minister of Finance to outline that there are some 130,345 who are eligible for tax breaks if the President’s “all health workers” promise is true.

“As at January 2020, the staff strength of Ministry of Health’s payroll stood at 130,345 and the tax exemption will be applicable to all the 130,345 health workers,” the GMA wrote in its letter to the Finance Minister.

The President had said that “An insurance package, with an assured sum of GH¢350,000 for each health personnel and allied professional at the forefront of the fight, has been put in place, with a daily allowance of GH¢150 being paid to contact tracers. Government has also decided that all health workers will not pay taxes on their emoluments for the next three months, i.e. April, May and June. Furthermore, all frontline health workers will receive an additional allowance of 50% of their basic salary per month, i.e. for March, April, May and June. The March allowance will be paid alongside that of April.”