The Member of Parliament(MP) for Kwabre East, Hon. Akwasi Gyamfi Onyina-Acheampong, has questioned the credibility of the 2026 Budget Statement, arguing that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has merely repeated promises it failed to deliver in the 2025 budget.
Speaking in an interview on Oyerepa Radio, the MP said the duplication of key policy commitments signals an inability of the government to fulfil its own targets.
“Almost everything the NDC government promised in the 2025 budget has been repeated in the 2026 budget, which suggests they were unable to deliver,” he stated. “So what assurances do we have that they can now fulfil the 2026 promises? Their credibility is in doubt.”
Hon. Onyina-Acheampong further argued that the government’s revenue performance in 2025 raises concerns about its ability to meet the ambitious targets outlined for the coming year. He noted that the 2025 budget projected revenue of GH¢226 billion, yet by September the state faced a shortfall of GH¢71 billion.
“We could not meet the 2025 revenue target, yet the government has increased the 2026 target to GH¢268 billion,” he said. “If they had maintained some of the taxes that supported revenue mobilisation, there might have been some hope. Instead, major taxes have either been reduced or removed.”
He cited the newly announced VAT reforms and the scrapping of the COVID-19 levy as examples, cautioning that the government could reintroduce new taxes later, as he claims happened in 2025.
“In 2025, they removed taxes like the betting tax and others, but later brought in a fuel tax. So what assurance do we have that if the 2026 budget is approved, they won’t return with new taxes again?” he asked.
Touching on flagship programmes such as the 24-Hour Economy initiative and the National Apprenticeship Programme, Hon. Onyina-Acheampong expressed doubts about adequate funding.
According to him, the allocation for the 24-Hour Economy is insufficient, and the government has already failed to deliver on its promise to create jobs for the youth.
“They promised jobs for the youth, but since coming to power, they have not been able to deliver. How then do we trust that these repeated programmes will now be executed?” he added.
The MP insisted that until the government demonstrates concrete results, public trust in its fiscal commitments will remain low.
