Executive secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers-Ghana (COPEC), Duncan Amoah says the controversy on the proposed electronic-levy is due to lack of proper accountability.
To him, Ghanaians would have readily supported the proposed e-levy if every detail on how funds have been managed over the years had been made public for Ghanaians to appreciate.
He emphasized saying “Ghanaians are not inconsiderate to say that they won’t pay their tax to the government. If Ghanaians saw what the government had used the generated road funds for, they would not have objected to this newly proposed e-levy. The simple question Ghanaians who are opposed to the e-levy are asking for, is accountability; what the money will be used for in the country.”
Controversies
Reacting to the controversies surrounding the E-Levy, Mr. Duncan Amoah said government has failed to account properly for the taxes that have been collected.
He notes that “if the previous 80 and 40 billion taxes the country generated from tax collection which are bigger, the estimated 70billion cedis that would be generated from the E-levy cannot do anything for the country.”
Thus he said, Government’s assertion that the E-Levy will help the country have portable drinking water, good roads and infrastructure among others can only be an illusion.
E-LEVY will make us masters of our own Destinies- Ken Ofori-Ata
Meanwhile the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has reiterated the stance of government that the implementation of the electronic levy will make Ghanaians self-sufficient, reduce government’s need to borrow money, minimize debt, and lead to infrastructural development.
He notes the proposed tax when passed will widen the tax net of all Ghanaians to share the burden of providing for national development.
He made this pronouncement while discussing the controversial e-levy tax during the first government town hall meeting in the Eastern Region on Thursday.
According to him, the COVID pandemic took a toll on the Ghanaian economy thus shifting all traditional service to online.
Read Also: We will stand firm with the ordinary Ghanaian –Ato Forson on e-levy
Emphasizing why Ghanaians must fully support the tax’s implementation, Mr. Ofori Atta said “rarely if you look at our debt situation and what we need to do so we raise our own money to be able to build the road that we are all looking for, then we must pay our way through it”.
On her part, the Minister for Communication, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful asserted that, like the communication service tax (CST), the proposed e-levy will not fail.
She noted that while she was initially opposed to the communication service tax (CST), she has since understood that this tax is critical and will be successful.
She further urged the opposition to support government as it seeks to implement the electronic levy which will help the country experience growth.
Source: Eric Sekyi & Emmanuella Ama Gyamfi/ATLFMNEWS
