(Video) I never said churches should be paid for the developmental projects they undertake - Bawumia
The Vice President and presidential aspirant, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said that his recent remarks about government paying churches was a mere joke.
He made statements earlier that considering the kind of developmental projects including schools and hospital, they should not be taxed but the government should pay them rather. He described as ‘massive’ the work the church has done.
The Vice President made headlines since it meant if voted into power, he will pay churches.
However, in another statement he recounted his meeting with the clergy and said that part where he said government must pay churches was a joke.
“I believe and I said this the other day when I was with the clergy in Bono, I said the church is the foremost development partner of government. … So at that I was joking and I said people are talking about taxing churches, me I don’t believe … we will not tax church because even if you look at the work the churches have done- I was joking.”
He explained that he meant the church should be given incentives just like the external developmental partners are given import exemptions.
“But I also didn’t really say we should pay churches. I am saying we should give incentives for them to do more. When we talk about external development partners, we are giving them all sort of import exemptions but when we talk of our own internal development partners like churches, we don’t give them exemptions but they do more in terms of development.”
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