Chief Operating Officer of Dalex Finance, Joe Jackson has called on government to remove Communications Service Tax (CST) which has affected the cost of phone calls and data.
His comments follow the 14 days lockdown period declared by President Akufo-Addo in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak in the country.
Mr Jackson is therefore suggesting to government to use part of the stimulus package intended for businesses to remove the communication service tax on data and phone calls.
Mr Jackson in an interview said the call is necessary because it will lessen the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian in this lockdown period since mobile phones have become a very key tool in the midst of the pandemic.
''The vulnerable at the bottom of the pyramid need an immediate stimulus. There are certain things we can do to alleviate their plights now. In this current regime of a lockdown, our biggest tool is our phone and yet the cost of making phone call is still a communication service tax sitting in there, so am suggesting that for this period some of that fund should be applied to removing the communication service tax with respect to voice and data to the point where the vulnerable or informal persons can feel an immediate impact’’.
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The Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta indicated in Parliament yesterday that government is ready with a stimulus package of one billion cedis for industry and citizens as the country battles the spread of coronavirus in Ghana.
He told Parliament Monday that money has been made available to assist and improve manufacturing in the country in the wake of the pandemic.
Again, the Finance Minister disclosed yesterday that the coronavirus pandemic will cost Ghana as much as GHS9,505
billion.
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