Ghana: Parliament approves tax waiver of GH174.7 million for health workers

Ghana Parliament has approved a request by the government for tax waiver amounting to GH174.7 million for health workers as part of measures in the fight against COVID-19, according to a news report by Ghanian Times.

The amount includes GH168 million on personal emoluments for all health workers and GH 5 million as additional allowances for frontline health workers in the COVID-19 fight.

The package for frontline health workers covers the months of April, May, and June 2020.

According to the government, the tax incentive is designed as a token compensation to encourage healthcare workers, especially frontline health personnel to continue to make sacrifices in caring for those infected with the virus and the sick in general.

The tax incentives cover health workers in government health facilities, quasi-government, and private health facilities across the country.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in one of his national addresses on the COVID-19 situation in the country and steps taken by the government to address the same, announced the package for persons in the health care delivery chain.

After months of the dilemma of who qualifies to be called a frontline health worker, the Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Bernard Oko Boye told Parliament on July 20, that the frontliners have been identified.

"The definition for frontline workers, as agreed on with all relevant stakeholders, is any health worker who has been involved in the management of a confirmed case of COVID-19," Dr. Boye told the House.

These categories of workers, the report said face considerable mental stress in line of duty hence the need for the package.