Assemblymember for Wuxor Have and Sremanu Electoral Area and Communication Team member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Japhet Festus Gbede, has argued that Ghanaians could have faced additional tax burdens if the New Patriotic Party (NPP) were in charge of the economy during the current downturn in global cocoa prices.
In a Facebook post contributing to the ongoing national debate on cocoa pricing, Mr. Gbede stated that the current administration has deliberately chosen to protect farmers and citizens from new fiscal pressures despite unfavourable conditions on the international cocoa market.
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He contended that introducing new taxes during a commodity price slump would effectively shift the burden of external economic shocks onto local producers, especially cocoa farmers whose incomes are highly dependent on global market fluctuations.
Mr. Gbede commended the approach of John Dramani Mahama’s government, asserting that prioritising production and safeguarding rural livelihoods, rather than imposing what he described as “distortionary taxes,” demonstrates prudent economic management.
He further challenged the NPP to present comparative data from its tenure in office, including prevailing world market cocoa prices and the corresponding producer price payments made to farmers. According to him, such figures would enable the public to make informed assessments based on factual evidence.
Mr. Gbede emphasised that discussions surrounding cocoa pricing must be anchored on transparency and empirical data to ensure policies remain focused on sustaining the cocoa sector and protecting farmer welfare amid global market volatility.
