The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Seth Tekper, has presented the 2014 budget statement and government’s economic policy to Parliament.
Highlights of the budget include:
1. President, Vice President and the Executive takes a 10% salary cut
2. Establishment of Infrastructure Fund
- Will change fundamentally the funding and delivery of infrastructure in the country;
- Will reduced cost, enhance timely payments, and promote more efficient delivery of capital projects.
- Considering that lack of infrastructure remains a major hindrance to the transformation of the country in terms of the road, rail and energy to facilitate trade and expansion of businesses.
3. Support to local industries
- Removal of taxes on HIV imported products
- Removal of taxes on printing material – providing business, making Ghanaian printers more competitive
- Provision of credit support for SME development
4. Setting up of contingency fund for the first time since constitutional rule
5. Agriculture modernization
- Setting up of a two modern farmers market to transform the way agriculture produce especially how grain is marketed in Ghana through the use of modern facilities and ICT.