The Finance Ministry has denied reports that a private company has been given a contract to collect revenues produced by the contentious electronic transaction levy (E-levy).
The Ministry emphasized in a statement published on Monday that the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), as a state agency, shall be the sole institution to offer collection services at a price that does not exceed the normal cost of revenue mobilization.
According to the Finance Ministry, “GRA will manage all discussions to ensure full deployment of their current platforms and resources for the collection of the E-Levy.”
In addition, the Ministry refuted claims that a 241,933,000 provision under the electronic transaction levy (E-levy) in the government’s 2022 budget was withdrawn from the final Appropriation Act.
North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa revealed this on his Facebook page on Saturday.
The Finance Ministry, on the other hand, said in the statement that “these allegations are all untrue.”
It went on to say that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta “provided full clarification on the earmarking of ¢241m as the E-levy services fee” on Monday, December 6.
Since Mr. Ofori-Atta revealed the government’s proposal to collect 1.75 percent on all electronic transactions beginning January 1, 2022, the nation has been split on whether or not to support the idea.
Although the administration has maintained that it is a creative approach to collect cash, critics, notably the Minority in Parliament and several economists, fear that the measure would exacerbate Ghanaians’ misery.
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SOURCE: myjoyonline
