Africa-Press – Ghana. Persons living with disability (PWDs) in the Obuasi Municipality have called on the Assembly to take steps to insulate them from paying taxes on their businesses. Mr Karim Iddrissu, Secretary of the local Chapter of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), who made the call, said such intervention would enable their members owning businesses to compete with their able-bodied counterparts. Supporting businesses of PWDs, according to him, would keep them out of the streets and serve as incentive for their colleagues to aspire to be productive. Mr Iddrissu was speaking at a ceremony to present some items to 44 selected PWDs in the Municipality to support their livelihoods. The items which were procured with the Assembly’s share of the Disability Fund were to help set beneficiaries up in businesses to improve their living conditions. Others were also given financial support to take care of their medical and educational needs. The GFD Secretary entreated the Assembly to consider their proposal for tax waiver at the next fee fixing exercise to enable them remain competitive in the market environment. He said disability naturally drained their incomes hence giving them tax wavers would help sustain their businesses. Mr Iddrissu praised the Assembly for the timely release of the fund and implored beneficiaries to put the items into productive use. Mr Elijah Adansi Bonah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) commended PWDs who had benefitted previously from the Fund for the productive use of the items given to them. He disclosed that reports from a monitoring team set up by the Assembly to assess how items were used by beneficiaries pointed to the fact that most of the items were put into productive use by PWDs. “I want to seize this opportunity to praise you for making good use of the items given you. Our monitoring team have given us positive feedback regarding how items given to you by the Assembly have been put into productive use,” he observed. The MCE added that, “I am not surprised because it is rare to see PWDs begging on the streets of Obuasi these days.” He said the Assembly was already considering the possibility of giving tax relief to PWDs who were into businesses to enable them thrive the competitive business space.
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