Reduce taxes, utility tariffs in mid-year budget review – Ghana Hotels Association to gov’t

The Ghana Hotels Association has urged the government to use the mid-year budget review to reduce the number of taxes and utility tariffs bedevilling the sector.

The president of the association, Dr Edward Ackah-Nyamike Jnr, has indicated that the numerous charges imposed on the sector are hampering their operations.

According to him, the country can meet its target of attracting over 1.5 million tourists, but the government needs to reduce the number of taxes imposed on the sector as well as the high utility tariff.

Speaking at the 3rd National Executive Council Meeting of the Ghana Hotels Association, he said that despite recording a positive economic recovery post-Covid 19, the sector still faces challenges. Dr. Ackah-Nyamike Jnr also said his outfit expects the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to address some critical issues hampering the progress of the sector.

“We have several programmes which are bringing in people. When they come in, that is where some of the challenges come in because the hotels are hosting them. We have high taxes and utility costs, now water and electricity are adjusted every quarter, and it keeps going high”.

“All those things, together with the high lending rates and the cost of doing business, in general, are affecting our business. So we may bring in the numbers. However, the profit margin for the businesses is very small”, he mentioned.

The association also called on financial institutions to support the sector to contribute to economic development.