- Parliament approves €1.5m tax waiver for e-learning labs in Senior High Schools.
- Approval comes after former Finance Committee chair's removal over blocked waivers.
- Minority Leader supports approval, citing non-controversial nature of tax waiver.
- Tax waiver is part of larger €11.5m loan facility for ICT equipment in schools.
Parliament has approved the first batch of tax waivers, previously blocked by the Finance Committee, worth €1.5 million. The approved tax waiver is for the supply and installation of e-learning laboratories in Senior High Schools across the country.
This development comes barely a week after Kwaku Kwarteng, the former chair of the Finance Committee, was removed from his role. Kwarteng was accused of siding with the Minority in blocking tax waivers worth nearly $400 million.
The Vice Chair of the Finance Committee, Carlos Ahenkora, justified the need for the waivers on the floor of Parliament. Ahenkora explained that the tax waiver was necessary to facilitate the supply and installation of essential e-learning equipment.
The Minority, led by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, surprisingly did not oppose the approval of the tax waiver. According to Forson, the tax waiver was not controversial, as it was related to a loan facility already approved by Parliament amounting to €11.5 million.
The Minority Leader commended the Minister for ensuring the project was evenly distributed across the country. The approved tax waiver is approximately 10% of the approved loan facility and targets the supply of essential ICT-related equipment to secondary schools nationwide.
