Ghana’s Parliament has approved President Akufo-Addo’s budget statement for the 2021 fiscal year.

TV3’s Mercydarlyn Lokko who was in parliament on Friday March 19 during proceedings reported that “At the end of the head count, the Ayes had 137 and Noes 134 so the budget has been approved by parliament.”

“Motion has been accordingly adopted,” she further reported.

The leader of Government Business, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu delivered the budget in Parliament on Friday March 12.

The government proposed in the 2021 budget statement the introduction of a Covid-19 Health Levy of a one percentage point increase in the National Health Insurance Levy and a one percentage point increase in the VAT Flat Rate to support expenditures related to Covid-19.

“To provide the requisite resources to address these challenges and fund these activities, government is proposing the introduction of a Covid-19 Health Levy of a one percentage point increase in the National Health Insurance Levy and a one percentage point increase in the VAT Flat Rate to support expenditures related to Covid-19,” the budget said among other things.