The Board Chairman of the National Council on Persons with Disability (NCPD), Mr Frederick Asor, was one of the special guests of honour at the September 14, 2026 disbursement of the Disability Common Fund at the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, where an illegal 7% tax deduction was openly justified in his presence.
The event was also attended by the Executive Secretary of the NCPD, Mr Edwin Andoh, another board member, and a staff of the Council.
Tax Defence In Presence of NCPD Leadership Without Correction
At a sensitisation session that preceded the disbursement, Mr Joshua Addy, the National Coordinator of the NCPD’s District Representatives who also chairs the Ashaiman Disability Fund Management Committee, defended the 7% withholding tax deductions — which this portal had previously exposed as illegal — claiming they were statutory and mandatory via GIFMIS.
Mr Addy did so in the presence of the Board Chairman, the Executive Secretary, another board member and a staff, without any correction from them during the programme.
He stated in part, as captured on video:
“Every Ghanaian is required to pay tax, including myself. It’s not only Ashaiman. It’s the same everywhere in the country. By the grace of God, I’m not only the Fund Management Committee Chair in Ashaiman. I’m the National Coordinator of all the Council’s reps across the country and so anything Common Fund lands on my desk. My Board Chair, Executive Secretary, our Inclusion officer are all here. They always support me to do my work. Everywhere in Ghana, people pay tax. Tema West, Kpone Katamanso, all the assemblies deduct tax from the disability fund.”
He then told beneficiaries: “I brought my boss here so that you know we’re doing the right thing,” pointing to the Board Chairman and Executive Secretary.
The absence of intervention prompted DisabilityNewsGH to contact the top officials to establish the circumstances under which they attended the event and to seek the Council’s official position on whether the Disability Common Fund is subject to tax deductions.
In an interview with this portal, Mr Asor confirmed that he was officially invited by the Assembly and attended with the Executive Secretary and two others.
He said it was the first time he was hearing about tax deductions from the Disability Fund and that he raised his hand to seek clarification after beneficiaries challenged the justification, but was not given the microphone.
However, our reporter on the ground and multiple sources present throughout the session, including other journalists, did not observe Mr Asor raising his hand to seek clarification.
One of our sources said:
“I didn’t see him raising his hand during the question time. If he said that, I disagree with him because he was sitting at the high table with his aide. And after him was the MCE and the MP, all on the same row. The Social Welfare Director was standing right behind him. So if he had raised his hand, all those people would have drawn the attention of the one moderating the session. Besides, the moderator was standing right beside him. Again, those at the high table were even pointing to people who raised their hands, assisting the moderator. So how come that he who was at the high table with the big men rather was ignored? I don’t think that really happened. If indeed he raised his hand, he would have been given the chance to speak.”
Another source put it bluntly:
“That is a lie! Where he was sitting at the high table on the front row, there was no way he wouldn’t be seen. Even if he did, why didn’t he persist till he got the mic?”
A third source also told this portal:
“That can’t be true. Even the MCE, the MP and a few other dignitaries had the chance to make contributions. He would have been given the mic if he indeed raised his hand.”
When asked about the official position, Mr Asor said: “I myself don’t know if indeed the grant is subject to tax deduction. How can a social intervention grant be taxed?”
He told this portal that from September 14 when he first heard about the issue until September 20 when he was contacted, no clarification had been sought from the Ghana Revenue Authority or the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund.
He, however, assured the reporter that he would engage both institutions within the week to clarify the tax status of the Fund.
Efforts to get a reaction from the Executive Secretary, Mr Edwin Andoh, who was also present at the event, have been unsuccessful as he has not responded to calls and messages.
What Observers Say
The development has raised concerns among observers of the disability space about the commitment of the NCPD leadership to protecting persons with disabilities.
According to them, the Executive Secretary is the government’s appointee mandated to protect persons with disabilities in the country. They question that if he, his Board Chairman, a board member and another staff could sit through a disbursement and watch an officer of the Council be used to misinform persons with disabilities without correcting it in real-time, what was the essence of their presence.
Observers described the explanation by the Board Chairman that he raised his hand to ask a question but was not given the microphone as untenable.
They argue that as a special guest of honour, the Board Chairman of the NCPD could not have raised his hand under the programme and been denied the microphone.
They further argue that even if that were to happen, nothing prevented the leadership from approaching the Assembly administration immediately after the event to seek clarification or to educate them.
Checks by DisabilityNewsGH show that since the inception of the Disability Common Fund, no disbursement in Ashaiman has ever witnessed the presence of such a high-powered delegation from the NCPD, not even one officer.
Observers say the presence of the Executive Secretary, Board Chairman, a board member and one staff, besides Mr Addy himself, raises suspicions that they were paraded to give legitimacy to the illegal deductions.
This was days after DisabilityNewsGH‘s publications on the May deductions had generated tension in the municipality.
What Happened At The Same Event: Full Amounts Given But 7% Still Charged To Fund
On May 8, GH₵9,037 was deducted over-the-table from 38 PWDs. On September 14, cash beneficiaries were issued cheques for the full approved amount, while applicants for items received the exact items requested.
Checks by this portal, however, show the 7% was still deducted — not from the beneficiaries, but from the Disability Common Fund itself.
Unlike May, where beneficiaries could see money being taken off the table, this new method is invisible to beneficiaries because of how the Fund operates.
DisabilityNewsGH has established that beneficiaries usually do not get the exact amounts they request. After applications, the Fund Management Committee decides how much to allocate.
For instance, a woman who requested GH₵10,000 was given GH₵5,000. Another person who requested GH₵9,000 was given GH₵4,000.
Because they do not know their final allocation, they cannot tell if tax has been deducted. On September 14, by giving them their full but unknown allocations, the Assembly ensured there were no complaints on the ground.
However, the quiet 7% deduction on each grant as withholding tax depletes the Disability Fund itself — a Fund meant for persons with disabilities.
The Law And Call For Forensic Audit
Direct grants to persons with disabilities under the Disability Common Fund are social intervention transfers, not procurement, and are not subject to withholding tax.
Tax experts and auditors who have spoken to DisabilityNewsGH maintain that such deductions, if applied, amount to illegal diversion of funds meant for a vulnerable group.
DisabilityNewsGH.com reiterates its call on the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, the Auditor-General and the Ghana Revenue Authority to commission a forensic audit into the management of the Disability Common Fund in the Ashaiman Municipality.
Such an audit should cover the May 8 and September 14, 2026 disbursements and reconcile GIFMIS records to establish how much of the PWDs’ fund has been depleted in the name of withholding tax.
This comes after DisabilityNewsGH.com‘s exclusive publication showing GHS 9,037 deducted from 38 PWDs in May – Read here (https://disabilitynewsgh.com/leaked-document-exposes-ashaiman-assemblys-illegal-7-tax-extortion-on-disability-grants-and-equipment/)
SOUCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
