Editorial
Bearing our economic burden together
National reconstruction calls for mobilisation of resources for the purpose of rebuilding what has gone wrong to promote smooth economic development for people in the country.
To be able to do this, we need to ensure that the burden is borne equally by everyone in the country, as part of contributing our quota towards national development.
In a situation where only a handful of people pays taxes to generate revenue into the national coffers for the sake of national development, the system can be said to be unfair since a substantial portion of people may not be seen to be contributing their quota to national development.
It is in the light of this that the government must adopt strategies to rope in more people into the tax net. When this is done, more people will be forced to contribute to national development in terms of paying taxes to raise revenue for the country.
Construction of roads, hospitals, schools, railways and many of such development projects require that we raise enough revenue to cover such expenses. We need to do this on regular basis to ensure that development projects are distributed to all sections of the population, so that every person or group of people will have their fair share of the national cake.
Many people in the formal sector are already contributing their quota through payment of taxes.
However, it is known that a large section of the country’s population does not pay tax. This is very unfortunate.
The Spectator is of the view that anyone who is involved in any kind of trade, no matter how small the scale is, ought to be made to pay some tax, so that together we can all enjoy good drinking water, good roads and health facilities for the good of everyone in this country.
Rome was not built in a day, so we must all agree to contribute our quota, so that over a period of time, we can all share in the glory of our own developmental agenda.
Government is already making some effort in this direction by ensuring that, to be able to register a business in this country, a person’s TIN number will be required for that purpose. This means that you cannot register a business entity without your TIN number.
We believe these are the measures needed to ensure that everyone is brought into the tax net, so that, together, we can all contribute to national revenue and help in the reconstruction of our country.
Dear Editor,
I AM writing to draw your attention to the inadequate street lights in some parts of Wawase, a situation that continues to pose serious concerns for residents.
Street lights play a crucial role in ensuring safety and security within a community. Unfortunately, several areas in Wawase are completely without functioning street lights.
This has made movement at night very difficult and dangerous, especially for workers, students, and traders who return home late.
The lack of proper lighting has also created an enabling environment for criminal activities such as theft and harassment. Residents often live in fear, and some are forced to limit their movements after dark. Additionally, poor visibility increases the risk of road accidents, putting both pedestrians and drivers at risk.
It is concerning that despite the growing population and development in Wawase, this basic infrastructure issue remains unresolved.
I would like to appeal to the relevant authorities, including the local assembly and electricity providers, to urgently address this problem by installing new street lights and repairing faulty ones.
Ensuring adequate street lights will not only improve security but also enhance the overall quality of life for residents in the area.
Gwen Mensah, Agona Swedru
Dear Editor,
FOR some time now, I have been deeply concerned about the state of the Kaneshie footbridge, which has over the years developed cracks, exposing some rusted metal parts and raising safety concerns.
It is, therefore, welcome news for daily users of the facility like myself that a team from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), led by the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), visited the facility and announced a temporary closure to allow for maintenance work to be carried out.
While I wish to commend the Assembly for the move, I believe it has been long overdue.
I often find it difficult to understand why, as a country, we sit, wait, and watch for preventable incidents or tragedies to happen before we react. I say this because the issue of the bad state of the Kaneshie footbridge has been one that has been re-echoed by many who use it on a daily basis.
I believe that as the Assembly looks to start the maintenance works on the footbridge, it is also important for it and other Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to pay attention to other footbridges across the country that are in a similar state.
The time has come for Ghana, as a country, to be more proactive than reactive.
I will also urge the assemblies to deploy their respective teams to always check on footbridges across the country to ensure that they are in good shape to avoid any tragedy that could lead to the loss of human lives.
From Fafa, Kaneshie
