President and public officers to pay tax

• Posted on March 17, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The President and all article 71 office holders will soon be required to pay taxes to the state.

The payment will take off after passage of a draft bill for the amendment of entrenched provisions of the 1992 constitution in a referendum in November.

The draft bill of the amendment of the 1992 constitution has been submitted to the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice.

Prof. E.V.O Dankwa who confirmed this on theCiti Breakfast Show, also revealed that the draft bill among others calls for the abolition of the death penalty. It also calls for the amendment of Article 78 which required the President to appoint majority of minister from among MPs

The provision also gives the Chief Justice the opportunity to designate a Superior Court judge to swear in a President-elect.

A new provision indicates that if the President-elect dies before being sworn in, the Vice-President-elect will be sworn in as President. He shall then nominate someone as vice-president, with the approval of Parliament, within 14 days.

And where the office of the vice-president becomes vacant as a result of death, resignation or removal,  the President shall, within 14 days, nominate someone to be the Vice-President, with the approval of Parliament.

However, this is not  applicable if there are 30 days or less to an election.

The referendum will give Ghanaians the opportunity to decide as to whether or not they are in favour of the amendments.

Prof. Dankwa noted that CRIC had also formulated draft bills for both entrenched and non-entrenched positions.

According to him, the “entrenched bill covers provisions of the constitution which can be amended only after the referendum.”

“We expect that the AG will look at the drafting system and submit it to cabinet, the cabinet will submit it to the legislature then the Speaker will refer it to the Council of State for its advice in 90 days,” he stated.

Asked whether there were advocacy plans for the process, he stated that “we would fairly soon meet the media and brace them on the process. We would also meet religious leaders and political leaders and talk to the National Commission on Civic Education about collaboration with respect to Education on the referendum.”

He stated that there will not be changes to the draft bill at the cabinet level since the Commission has already briefed cabinet on the bill.

By: Marian Efe Ansah