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Tinubu inaugurates committee on fiscal policy, tax reforms

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President Bola Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms in Abuja. The President had four weeks ago set up the committee chaired by Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Taiwo Oyedele.

The committee has experts from both the private and public sectors as members.

At the inauguration, the President said the Committee would be guided by national interest above all else.

Tinubu said the country cannot continue to tax poverty or production but focus on returns, income and consumption.

He also directed all government agencies, ministries and departments to cooperate fully with the Committee towards achieving their mandate.

Tinubu said, “Within the scope of this mandate, the Committee shall have as its objective the advancement of viable and cost effective solutions to issues such as the multiplicity of revenue collection agencies, the high cost of revenue administration, the excessive burden of compliance on ordinary taxpayers, the lack of effective coordination between fiscal and other economic policies within and across levels of government and poor accountability in the utilisation of tax revenues.

“The Committee is comprised of experts from both the private and the public sector. I have given them a strong mandate and I expect their report to cover tax reform, fiscal policy design and coordination, harmonisation of taxes and revenue administration among other items.

“The Committee is expected to achieve its mandate within a period of one year. They are, in the first instance, expected to deliver a schedule of quick reforms which can be implemented within thirty days. Critical reform measures should be recommended within six months and full implementation will take place within one calendar year.”

Credit: channelstv.com

Agona West Assembly collects over GH¢750k in revenue

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Agona West Municipal Assembly

The Agona West Municipal Assembly has made strides in its revenue mobilisation as part of efforts to improve the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) for 2023.

As at the end of May, 2023, it was able to collect GH¢750, 280.47 out of an estimated annual budget of GH¢2,385, 045.

The Management said the Assembly was committed to ensuring that it met revenue targets by the end of the year under review.

Mr. Evans Addison Onomah Coleman, the Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, made this known when he addressed the first ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the Eight Assembly at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.

He said the collection of property rates, which was the major revenue item of the Assembly, had been taken over by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and that had adversely affected the Assembly’s revenue.

The Assembly received GH¢323,250.94 as it share of the District Assemblies Common Fund for the fourth quarter, 2022 which was expended on various projects and programmes it undertook the previous year.

The projects included the construction of 40-seater open market stalls at Lower Bobikuma, construction of three-bedroom apartment for medical doctors at Agona Swedru and completion of an office complex for the Assembly.

Mr Coleman said the Assembly had begun procurement processes for Urban Development Grant (UDG) for three projects of the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme (GSCSP).

It intended to construct a three-story 60 lockable shops at the Mandela Market and upgrade the Otabilkrom road with double seal bituminous surfacing.

The two projects meant for Agona Swedru were to improve the local economy, Mr Coleman said.

“To promote oil palm cultivation as an alternative to cocoa in the municipality, the Assembly, through the Department of Agriculture, continues with the distribution of oil palm seedlings to farmers,” he said.

A total of 28,988 oil palm seedlings have been distributed to 67 farmers in the first half of the year, bringing the total of the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) seedlings distributed to 213, 988.

A total of 3, 464 coconut seedlings were distributed under the PERD within the first year making up to a total of 14,600 seedlings provided to farmers in the Municipality.

On security, the MCE commended the security agencies for their efforts in maintaining the peace and assured that the Assembly would support them with some logistics to help combat crime.

Source: GNA 

Chaos in Kumasi over seizure of Pragia tricycles by KMA

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RICHARD OWUSU-AKYAW
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The towing yard of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) at Adum was on Monday thrown into a state of disorder when riders of ‘rickshaw’ tricycles, popularly known as Pragia, besieged the yard in an attempt to forcibly retrieve their impounded tricycles.

Numbering about three hundred, the irate Pragia riders blocked the main road in front of KMA and attempted to break into the transport yard, but they were prevented by the KMA City Guards and police officers who were on duty.

In the process, they attacked the Police Officers and City Guards by pelting them with stones and other objects, injuring eight police officers and destroying vehicles.

A distress call was placed to the military, who came and maintained law and order. Information available to this paper has it that twelve people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Prior to this incident, the riders had blocked the busy Suame roundabout – Kejetia (Dubai) road, with concrete slabs and tricycles, subjecting road users to harassments until the police and military teams intervened.

When Ms. Henrietta Afia Konadu, the Public Relations Officer for the KMA was contacted, she confirmed the development to The Chronicle. She indicated that since June 2023, the assembly has schooled leaders of these Pragia riders about the exercise that seeks to restrict their movement into the Central Business District (CBD) to reduce congestion.

According to her, the restriction order was supposed to take off from July 24, 2023 but the riders failed to comply with it.

On Monday, August 7, 2023 Afia Konadu explained that whilst they were trying to enforce the restriction order in the morning, they discovered that some of the riders of Pragia had blocked the road from Suame roundabout to Race Course.

The assembly responded by sending police to clear them from the road and in the process impounded forty-three tricycles.

This development, she noted, gave the KMA a clue about how chaotic the exercise could be so they spoke to the police to mount checkpoints at the various entry points into the CBD.

PRO Konadu told The Chronicle that after they have been cleared from the road, the Pragia riders came to the Towing Yard of the assembly to forcibly take away their impounded tricycles. They did this by pelting the police and City guards with stones and injured some of the peace officers.

“I was part of the team that went to the CBD and we urged these riders to leave the area; anyone whose motor was seized was trying to resist our directive,” she said.

When asked to explain how the situation was brought under control, she disclosed that the military were called in to restore law and order.

Responding to a question as to whether there has been any arrest, she explained that the police managed to detain twelve people. During interrogation, they claimed they were not riders of Pragia but they were called to come and fight the assembly taskforce.

“We beg of them, we know that they are our brothers and during the preliminary stage, they pleaded with the assembly to review the restriction by allowing them to ride to Labour roundabout instead of Anloga junction, which we agreed. We are doing this to sanitise the city, which is for all of us,” she said.

Mr. Seidu Rauf, one of the leaders with the Pragia Workers Association of Ghana, also confirmed the development, describing it as unfortunate.

According to Rauf, having received a letter from the KMA concerning the restrictions of their movements, they pleaded with the assembly to review its decision because it will affect them economically, but they were ignored.

“The areas designated for us are highways and we cannot work on highways,” Seidu Rauf told The Chronicle in a telephone interview.

Asked if indeed some Pragia riders attacked the Police Officers, he responded in the affirmative, saying the police told them (riders) to remove their tricycles from the road after which they (police) will give them (tricycles) back to the riders.

He said when they complied with the order and removed the tricycles, which they had used to block the road, the police surprisingly took away all the seized tricycles to the KMA transport yard.

Kwabena Kwabena addresses gay rumours

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NANA KWESI COOMSON
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Kwabena Kwabena

Celebrated Ghanaian Highlife musician and prolific songwriter, Kwabena Kwabena has refuted rumors of him being a homosexual.

The rumour mill was filled with rumours of the ‘Aso’ crooner being gay when he was sighted in a female dress at the recently held Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).

Speaking in an interview with Lexis Bill on Joy FM, Kwabena Kwabena shared his opinion about the controversial ANTI-LGBTQI+ Bill.

“I am a man and I am attracted to women. I can never be attracted to another man” Kwabena Kwabena shared.

According to Kwabena Kwabena, although he’s not gay but he finds it very ruthless for us to punish others over their own sexual preference that has no direct effects on anyone.

Kwabena Kwabena who has been pinned as a gay man also refuted the rumors and stated emphatically stated that he will never be attracted to a man.

He said; “Continuous discussions on LGBTQ issues rather promote the agenda as against the general societal disapproval of it.”

Meanwhile, the public hearing on the ANTI-LGBTQI+ Bills which started last Thursday under the auspices of the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament has been temporarily suspended.

Court places interlocutory injunction on MUSIGA election

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NANA KWESI COOMSON
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Bessa Simons and Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi, contenders for MUSIGA Presidency

An Accra High Court has placed an interlocutory injunction on the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) elections scheduled for today, Tuesday, August 8, 2023.

The elections will be on hold pending the final determination of the case by the court.

Plaintiffs in the legal action, Doe Kwablah Seyenam Nyamadi and Frederick Van Dyk, both members of MUSIGA, are praying to the court for an order of interlocutory injunction to restrain MUSIGA (the first defendant), Bice Osei Kuffour (Obour), the second defendant; and the Electoral Commission(third defendant) from holding the elections.

In their application, the plaintiffs contend that contrary to the requirements of the MUSIGA Constitution, the first and second defendants and their executives have failed to render proper accounts.

They contend also that by not rendering accounts, the defendants are not competent to hold elections and hand over to a new executive.

The third defendant is a statutory institution responsible for elections.

MUSIGA has postponed its elections several times since 2019 when Bice Osei Kuffour aka ‘Obour’ finished his tenure as president.

There had been issues concerning the update of the voters’ register and confusion over delegates’ eligibility status.

The acting president of the union, Bessa Simons, has been in office for the past four years.

Fred Nuamah makes U-turn on Ayawaso West Wuogon Parliamentary ambition

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NANA KWESI COOMSON
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Fred Nuamah and John Dumelo

Actor Fred Nuamah who was lacing his boots to contest as parliamentary candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Ayawaso West Wuogon(AWW) Constituency has changed his mind.

The Actor who was about to contest his friend John Dumelo is now in support of the former’s bid to lead the NDC in the Constituency.

In a letter dated August 7, 2023, and addressed to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NDC, Mr Nuamah stressed that his decision to withdraw from the parliamentary primaries was made in the interest of the unity of the party after “extensive consultations with key stakeholders and without any external influence.”

Actor Fred Nuamah has abandoned his ambition of becoming the parliamentary candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Ayawaso West Wuogon(AWW) Constituency and is now in support of John Dumelo’s bid to lead the NDC in the Constituency.

In a letter dated August 7, 2023, and addressed to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NDC, Mr Nuamah stressed that his decision to withdraw from the parliamentary primaries was made in the interest of the unity of the party after “extensive consultations with key stakeholders and without any external influence.”

“I firmly believe that the NDC must present a unified front for the 2024 general elections. As a dedicated member of the NDC, I prioritize the party’s unity and the President John Mahama project aimed at rescuing our country,” he explained in his withdrawal letter addressed to the NEC of the NDC.

Beyond declaring his support for his former archrival JohnDumelo he urged his support base to rally behind him so as to enable the NDC to rescue the country from the ‘chokehold’ of the administration of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“I wholeheartedly endorse and throw my support behind my good friend and brother, Mr. John Dumelo, to be the parliamentary candidate for the NDC in the Ayawaso West-Wuogon constituency….

“I urge all my supporters across all levels of the party in the constituency to rally behind John Dumelo and provide him with needed support. Together, with a renewed sense of togetherness, we can secure victory in the 2024 elections and uplift our nation from its current state,” he added.

Opposition cries foul as voters in CAR approve tenure elongation

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Central African President Faustin-Archange Touadera arrives to attend a visit and a dinner at the Orsay Museum in Paris, France, November 10, 2018

Opposition leaders in the Central African Republic (CAR) have condemned the adoption of a controversial draft constitution that paves the way for presidential tenure elongation in the volatile country.

Mathias Morouba, head of the national poll body announced on Monday that voters cast 95.27 percent of their ballots in favour and 4.73 percent against, with a turnout of 61.10 percent in the referendum which began on July 30.

President Faustin-Archange Touadera is now eligible to run for another term in 2025. If elected, he could spend 16 years at the helm.

In response, his rivals have said the president is seeking a life presidency.

“It’s a comedy … we’ve all seen that people didn’t go out to vote and it doesn’t reflect the will of the Central African people,” said Crepin Mboli-Goumba, coordinator of the BRDC opposition coalition.

The constitution will now replace the current one that only allows presidents to serve two four-year terms. It also allows for the position of a vice president and a unicameral legislature, binning its Senate.

According to reports, there was a low turnout, especially in the capital. In one location in Bangui on July 30, a Reuters reporter saw only two dozen people in the queue.

The CAR has struggled to find stability since independence in 1960.

Source: Aljazeera.com

Italian banks hit with surprise windfall tax

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The Porta Nuova business district seen from the terrace of Duomo Cathedral in Milan

A hike in official interest rates resulted in record profits for Italian banks.

The tax will apply to the net interest income that comes from the gap between the banks’ lending and deposit rates.

Proceeds will be used to help mortgage holders and cut taxes, the government says.

The surprise move was agreed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ministers at a cabinet meeting late on Monday. They vowed to invest the funds raised into helping households and businesses struggling with the cost of borrowing.

“One has only to look at banks’ first-half profits to realise that we are not talking about a few millions, but of billions,” Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told a news conference in Rome late on Monday.

The decision shows the government intends “to punish banks’ unfair behaviour”, a source told the Reuters news agency.

Defending the move, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the Corriere della Sera newspaper it was not against the banks, “but a measure to protect families” and those struggling to pay mortgages.

Around €2bn (£1.7bn) is reportedly expected to be generated from the levy, which will be used to fund support for families hit by higher interest rates.

Source: bbc.com

Dozens arrested over alleged child sex abuse following murder of two FBI agents

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Members of an alleged pedophile ring used software to anonymously share files, chat on message boards and access websites within the network, according to police.

A total of 98 people have been arrested in connection with child sex abuse, and 13 children rescued from harm, US and Australian authorities said Tuesday, more than two years after two FBI agents were killed investigating an alleged international pedophile ring.

In a news conference Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) said 79 arrests, 65 indictments, and 43 convictions in the US were carried out as a result of the joint operation, while 19 men were arrested in Australia.

Two FBI agents investigating the alleged ring were shot dead in 2021 while executing a search warrant for a computer programmer suspected of possession of child abuse material, CNN previously reported.

The alleged child abuse ring was a “peer to peer network” with “some offenders committing offenses for over 10 years,” said Australian Federal Police Commander Helen Schneider.

“Some of the children were known to the men who were arrested,” Schneider added, but refused to comment further.

Australian investigation

The Australian police investigation began in 2022 when the FBI passed on details of Australian members of a peer-to-peer network allegedly sharing child abuse material on the dark web.

“This operation was highly complex,” the FBI’s legal attaché in Canberra, Nitiana Mann, told reporters Tuesday. “The complexity and anonymity of these platforms means that no agency or country can fight these threats alone.”

Source: cnn.com

Niger coup: Wagner taking advantage of instability – Antony Blinken

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Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State

Russia’s Wagner mercenary group is “taking advantage” of instability in Niger, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told the BBC.

The country has been ruled by a junta following the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum nearly two weeks ago.

There have been suggestions the coup leaders have asked for help from Wagner, which is known to be present in neighbouring Mali..

Mr Blinken said he did not think Russia or Wagner instigated Niger’s coup.

However the US was worried about the group “possibly manifesting itself” in parts of the Sahel region, he told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme

“I think what happened, and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but… they tried to take advantage of it.

“Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed,” said Mr Blinken.

“Insecurity has gone up, not down”.

He added that there was a “repeat of what’s happened in other countries, where they brought nothing but bad things in their wake”.

Both the US and France operate military bases in Niger as part of operations to disrupt jihadist groups operating in the wider region. Niger became the main base for French troops after they were told to leave Mali following a coup there.

Source: bbc.com

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