The tactics the government in power is ‘trying’ to use to grab enough money ‘just in case’ their tenure on office comes to an abrupt end is very disappointing, disturbing and very inhuman. Taxes on goods and services keep rising but we don’t even know where these taxes vanish to.

Taxes collected from citizens are meant to make life easier and services more accessible but that is not the case (or not meant to be in the case of Ghana).

A Ghanaian in power savours the opportunity to use whatever position he finds himself to exploit and oppress the other person, sometimes leading to fatal consequences. As a result of the lack of a functional system in any area of our national life, every Ghanaian makes the best of exploiting a situation.

Ghana operates a system where no one cares about anyone simply because they are never held accountable for their misconduct. My point is, even the thickets of men would succeed as a Prime Minister let’s say in a place like the United Kingdom because if such a man is elected into office, one of two things would happen. It is either the system beats sanity and conformity into him or the system pushes him out as quickly as he is voted into power. That is a workable system that no one can fiddle with.

The National Women’s Organizer of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Anita De Sosoo has suggested that government imposes more taxes on condoms to ensure discipline in relationships in the country. She believes that if more taxes are imposed on condoms, it will reduce the large number of single mothers in Ghana. She stressed that more taxes on condom will prevent people from engaging in rampant and irresponsible sexual behaviour.

“Taxes on Condoms will prevent people from engaging in rampant and irresponsible sexual behaviour”

Crying over spilt milk, are we? ‘Nobody teaches a child who God is’ (literally).

Irresponsible sexual behaviour is already rampant especially among the youth. Cheap condoms in my opinion will not increase promiscuous behaviour, but will decrease the consequences of people’s promiscuousness. We bury our heads in the sand as if it is not happening, it is!  Imposing taxes on it will deter people from buying and that is when we start calling for trouble. That is the main reason why condoms should even be made available without teenagers buying it. People always have the urge and sometimes they just cannot help it. When condoms are given out for free, people who do not have money but have the biological urge to engage in sex can have condoms to protect themselves from STDs and unwanted pregnancies.

“Reduce large numbers of single mothers”

I strongly disagree with madam on this. Imposing taxes on condoms is NOT going to reduce the large number of single mothers in the country as she is claiming. Sexual health and pregnancy clinics in some countries give out free condoms, but the number of single mothers in those countries keeps increasing. Has it ever occurred to her that divorce, loss of spouse and other unforeseen circumstances turn women into single moms?

How can increasing the price or imposing tax on condoms stop people from being single mothers? Has she ever wondered what will happen to government’s budget allocation to control births and fight against HIV AIDS if government, on another breath, is taxing the very means used for birth control? The cheapest birth control in Ghana may be the condom, if it is not affordable – why bother?

If the ordinary citizen cannot afford to buy condoms and he still needs to perform his right as a husband – not being able to buy a condom is not going to stop him. He will still do whatever he wants to do. When his wife gets pregnant, they will thank God for blessing them with a child even though they cannot afford to feed an extra mouth. The cycle of poverty starts again. Is it not wise to even educate this couple to embrace the use of condoms and provide some for them?

Imposing taxes is not the answer; intensive education for people to embrace the use is what matters. Instead of advocating for all these contraceptive methods and condoms to be free, she is rather talking about sponging off the little money people have in their pockets. Sexual immorality is already there, looking for a lasting solution is what this debate calls for NOT seeking ways to increase the population with the little (or much) the country can boast of.

If they need money to start campaigning as I said before ‘just in case’, they should find other methods and means to use or go the usual route of loans and grants and leave the already poor suffering Ghanaian alone.