Mr Samuel Aggrey, the Executive Secretary of the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana, has called out the president for doing little to save the fortunes of the beverage manufacturers in the country after using ‘Kalpo’ to enhance his campaign to win power in 2016.
According to Mr Aggrey, when the president in opposition used the product of a local manufacturing company to push his ambition of becoming the president, many of the members were of the view that the president was coming for the local manufacturing companies.
He said this action on the part of the president in opposition emboldened members to help his campaign to win power, only for the president to assume office and slap all manner of taxes on the local beverage industry.
He bemoaned the high levels of taxes on the industry under the current administration
He said when the president was campaigning in 2016 ‘Kalpo’ was sold at GHS1.20 pesewas.
”Today the same product is being sold for GHS6 all because of taxes slapped on the operations of manufacturers as well as tax on the final product,” he said.
Mr Aggrey expressed the association’s frustration with the system while speaking on the Citizen’s show hosted by Nana Kwabena Bobie Ansah on Accra 100.5 FM on Monday, October 16, 2023
He was quick to add that many of the leaders in the country’s beverage front are expatriates who are unable to voice out their frustrations with the system for fear of being haunted by operatives of the state.
He noted that what is worrying is some manufacturers are producing in the face of the rising taxes but customers are not buying.
He said many of these manufacturers are producing for the dustbin because the purchasing power of Ghanaians has dwindled.
According to him, the 100 percent total recovery of the benchmark values takes a toll on the operations of beverage manufacturers.
He mentioned the increasing taxes on the production of fruit juice and import duties as the bane of the industry.
Source: Classfmonline
