According to the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, government officials will launch a statewide public awareness campaign on the need for the controversial e-levy to be implemented today, Thursday, January 20, 2022.
According to him, authorities, including himself, would directly involve individuals in the numerous programs and policies for which the government will spend the levy revenue.
At a press conference on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, he said that the administration is convinced of the necessity for the e-levy and how it embodies the concept of burden-sharing for Ghana’s development.
“Beginning Thursday, a team comprising myself, colleague ministers, and other key members of government will embark on a public engagement and sensitization campaign across the country. We intend to communicate clearly on the proposed mechanics of the e-levy, its potential benefits to the people of Ghana within the spirit of burden-sharing that must guide us in our development efforts as we move Ghana Beyond Aid,” he said.
Mr. Ofori-Atta went on to say that early public engagements reveal that many people are not opposed to the e-levy, but just want responsibility for how the money is used.
As a result, he emphasized that the government intends to “use the money to create jobs, grow our private sector to employ more of our youth, accelerate the digitalization agenda to bring more convenience to Ghanaians, enhance the security of our digital platforms, aggressively expand our road infrastructure agenda, reduce our reliance on debt, and reduce crowding out of the private sector to improve access to credit.”
He applauded the telecommunications firms for stating their intention to decrease their 1% transaction fees on money transfers.
“True to the spirit of burden sharing, the Telcos have agreed to reduce their charges by 0.25% to reduce the overall net impact of the levy on subscribers. We want to take this opportunity to thank our friends in the Telecom Industry and we believe that by this measure, we can raise the requisite resources to bolster our fiscal position while keeping an eye on transaction costs and consumer welfare and reducing the impact on the average Ghanaian and keeping the resources required for our growth agenda.”
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SOURCE: CITINEWS
