Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has told parliament that the government is “cleaning up the NPP’s mess” surrounding the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS) contract, as he laid bare the series of procedural breaches and financial risks inherited from the previous administration.
Briefing the House, Dr Forson revealed that the NPP government committed Ghana to a binding contract with Tata Consultancy Services on 4 November 2024 without seeking the constitutionally required parliamentary approval.
He warned that failure to execute the contract at this stage would have exposed the country to a hefty judgement debt.
The minister also informed MPs that the former administration granted extensive tax exemptions to the contractor. The current government, he said, has since renegotiated the terms of the agreement and saved the nation about 10 million dollars.
“We have corrected what they failed to do and protected the public purse,” he stated.
Dr Forson further reminded Parliament that it was the NPP itself that agreed with the IMF to make the ITAS contract a structural benchmark to be completed before the end of 2024.
He then revealed that the IMF has now upgraded that requirement to a prior action necessary for Ghana’s next programme review.
Addressing the chamber, the minister underscored that the Mahama government’s priority is lawful and responsible.