The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is up in arms over the government’s failure to honour an agreement to provide tax waivers for the importation of vehicles.
The association, which represents medical doctors and dentists across the country, had signed a Conditions of Service agreement with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance in March 2024, which included provisions for the tax waivers.
However, following a change in government, the processing of the waivers has come to a halt, leaving many doctors and dentists stranded.
Vehicles imported by these medical professionals are currently stuck at the port, accumulating charges by the day and risking confiscation and auction.
According to the GMA, the tax waivers were intended to enable medical doctors and dentists to secure vehicles to facilitate their movement to work and response to emergencies.
However, with the government’s failure to honour the agreement, many medical professionals are now facing financial hardship and uncertainty.
The GMA has appealed to its members to exercise restraint while it engages with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance to resolve the issue.
In the meantime, the association has advised members who are considering importing vehicles using the tax waiver to hold on with their plans.
This development has sparked concerns about the NDC government’s commitment to honoring agreements with key stakeholders in the health sector.
The GMA has assured its members that it is actively engaging with the government to ensure that the tax waivers are restored as soon as possible.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that tax waivers have been a contentious issue in Ghana.
In 2022, the NDC Minority MPs dragged the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ministry of Finance to court over tax waivers granted to certain companies, including Sentuo Oil Refinery Limited, totaling approximately $335 million.
The MPs argued that the tax waivers were inconsistent with the 1992 Constitution.
-BY Daniel Bampoe
