Size of govt not factor for increased expenditure – Oppong Nkrumah

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has insisted that there has never been an instance where the size of the government has been cited as a factor for the increased government expenditure.

“In having conversations with our external creditors, there has never been an in­stance where the size of the government was cited as a factor for the increased government expenditure that I am privy to,” he stressed.

However, Mr Nkrumah assured that the government was ready and open to possible ways of cutting down on expenditure because there is already been action on various levels, and in­dicated that the doors were not closed to further cuts as were being examined.

According to him, as the government goes through and examine some more, there were places where some more cuts could be done which made sense to make such cuts and pointed out that it does not cost the taxpayer any extra because ministers of state were paid as Members of Parliament (MPs).

“The citizenry does not incur an extra cost if the government decides to increase the number of its ministers, hence the reason Parliament was not in concurrence with the populace view since the ministers are already being paid as MPs.

“Parliament is not of the view that there must be reduction in the size of the government because the approval of the six ministerial appointees by the House indicated that, contrary to the belief that reduction in the size of the gov­ernment is necessity to cut down expenditure which Parliament disagreed.

“The understanding I have is that Parliament does not even share the view because we all saw what happened in the House the last time literally the question was put on the table.

“Despite all the conversations the last time it was put on the table, we saw the numbers so, Par­liament as a body does not even share the view,” Mr Nkrumah postulated.

He disclosed that in the current administration, individuals who were appointed as ministers did not get an additional payment for that position because the ministers were already being paid as MPs.

Mr Nkrumah reiterated that citizens did not incur an extra cost “if the government decided to increase the number of its minis­ters, hence the reason Parliament was not in concurrence with the populace view.