Former Head of Monitoring on the Forestry Fee and good governance advocate, Reverend Charles Owusu has launched a passionate defence of Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML), warning that resistance to its operations, notably within the petroleum downstream and upstream sectors, can solely be defined by the affect of vested pursuits benefiting from Ghana’s long-standing income leakages.
In an interview with MyJoyonline, Rev. Owusu questioned the motives of these opposing SML’s deployment of know-how to trace and plug revenue losses within the extractive business, particularly when proof factors to its helpful deployment.
“It is just a cartel that clearly advantages from the leakage that can oppose any resolution to repair the rot,” he said, including, “Let’s be sincere, how come the shortfalls vanished when SML plugged of their programs within the downstream sector? The information speaks for itself.”
Based on him, the true opposition to SML’s efforts just isn’t about legality or effectivity however about “saboteurs inside the system who’ve at all times profited from the opacity and under-reporting in Ghana’s petroleum sector.”
Rev. Owusu expressed disbelief on the Ghana Income Authority’s (GRA) latest declare to have suspended SML’s upstream operations, stating that “the undertaking has not even began. How will you droop one thing that has not commenced?”
He cited a recent GRA letter and known as into query its claims, notably the assertion that SML was increasing its operations with out approval. “The place did the GRA get the details about SML increasing into upstream unilaterally? That is severe and deserves readability.”
The GRA, in an official assertion, introduced that it had suspended SML’s upstream petroleum income assurance operations, pending additional evaluate. However Rev. Owusu insists this motion is untimely and deceptive, provided that SML has not begun any upstream exercise but.
He urged Ghanaians to place the nationwide curiosity above parochial issues, stressing that “we should embrace home-grown options like SML if we’re severe about preventing corruption and plugging income losses in vital sectors of the financial system.”
Rev. Owusu pointed to proof by Dr. Eric Boachie Yiadom, a Senior Lecturer and Initiatives Coordinator on the College of Skilled Research, Accra (UPSA) that the SML resolution deserves to be deployed within the nationwide curiosity, or at worst to be tweaked to help the nationwide effort to fight income leakages.
Based on Dr. Yiadom, the SML system represents the most effective know-how to plug the persistent tax income leakages in Ghana.
Rev. Owusu warned that continued sabotage and resistance to technological oversight within the petroleum sector would solely perpetuate Ghana’s financial losses, and serve the pursuits of some highly effective people.
“This nation belongs to all of us. Allow us to cease defending unlawful earnings and begin defending nationwide assets. SML provides an actual resolution, and we should not let a couple of folks maintain Ghana again.”
Learn additionally:
Ghana is not broke, it is bleeding- UPSA’s Prof. Boadi calls for bold action on tax leakages
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