In his opening remarks on Tuesday when the House convened, Speaker Alban Bagbin expressed concerns about what he claimed to be the abuse of the invocation of Article 112 (3). This came after Parliament was called back to address important government business, as required by the constitution.
For this reason, he characterised the frequent use of Article 112(3) to recall Parliament during a session of the current Parliament as a “abuse” because it could interfere with the planned legislative annual budget and workflow, deplete national resources, and impact the overall productivity of Parliament.
He therefore invited the House’s members to discuss the issue and determine when it would be appropriate to apply Article 112 (3) at the proper moment. The recall was called for, among other reasons, by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo Markins in accordance with Article 112(3) of the Constitution to address urgent matters of state, such as proposed tax exemptions and two major loan agreements totalling $250 million, one for the energy sector and the other for the Ghana Stability Fund.
Speaker Bagbin had previously stated that a mid-September meeting would have been more suitable, but nevertheless, the emergency session was convened, with dates set for September 3 and 4. Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo Markin defended the action, saying that the recall was required to solve pressing national challenges.
The Minority, lead by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, on the other hand, was against the planned tax exemptions and argued that the Tax Exemptions Act should be followed instead, which would have converted them into tax credits or tied them to equity shares.
SOURCE: https://dew360.net
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