The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and caretaker Minister for Finance, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has disclosed Ghanaians will be charged a COVID-19 Healthy Levy of 1% on VAT, Flat Rate Scheme (VFRS) and a 1% on National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) as part of revenue measures to help the economy recover.
He made this disclosure when presenting the 2021 budget statement and economic policy on the floor of Parliament on Friday, March 12, 2021.
According to him, these levies will be used to acquire vaccines and help in the establishment of 14 medical waste treatment facilities as promised by President Akufo-Addo in his 1st State of the Nation Address (SONA) for his 2nd term earlier this week.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused additional health spending that has exceeded the annual budget for health and he believes these levies, “will also assist in the construction of 33 major health projects, the recruitment of more health professionals and agenda 111”.
“To provide the requisite resources to address these challenges and fund these activities, government is proposing the introduction of a Covid-19 Health Levy of a one percentage point increase in the National Health Insurance Levy and a one percentage point increase in the VAT Flat Rate to support expenditures related to Covid-19,” he said.
