Mid-year budget: IEAG slams finance minister over lack of stakeholder engagement

The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has criticised Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson for failing to involve key stakeholders ahead of the upcoming mid-year budget review set for Thursday, July 24, 2025.

The Association raised concerns over a recent meeting organised by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to discuss proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) reforms, alleging that major trading associations, including IEAG, were excluded from the consultation.

Executive Secretary of the IEAG, Samson Asaki Awingobit, questioned the credibility of the government’s stakeholder engagement process, describing it as neither transparent nor inclusive.

“I was in a meeting when I learned the GRA was consulting the business community on VAT reforms. I immediately contacted their communications officer and said, ‘You claim to be engaging stakeholders, but you’ve left out the most critical ones.’ Later, they’ll claim broad consultation, but who exactly are they speaking to?” Awingobit said.

He added that GRA officials indicated the engagement was being done in groups and promised to reach out to IEAG, but no formal invitation has been extended just days before the budget presentation.

The Association is now urging the Finance Ministry to broaden its consultative process to ensure that all relevant voices within the trading community are heard before finalising any fiscal policy decisions.