Some members of Parliament’s Minority caucus have expressed concern over the removal of the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-levy) from the Business Statement for the fifth week ending February 25, 2022.
This comes only days after the Majority Leader in Parliament said that the government would no longer withdraw and re-lay the E-levy bill, as previously conveyed.
Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, requested that the Majority express its position on the tax in order to clear up any confusion.
“It [E-levy] is not even in our business statement this week. We want to know the direction of government on that E-levy policy. If it is no longer a priority, please let us know.”
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Member of Parliament for Juaboso, made a similar appeal in Parliament, stating, “May I know when the E-levy [bill] will be brought back to the floor of the House? I say that because some members of the honorable House are going round telling Ghanaians that some of us are secretly supporting E-levy”.
In response to the concerns, Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin asked the Minority to work with the majority to approve the e-levy bill.
“…Yesterday we considered the Sputnik report by consensus. Why don’t we do same for the e-levy?”
Previous attempts to debate the measure on the floor of Parliament were unsuccessful.
Currently, the national discourse revolves around the government’s controversial 1.75 % electronic transfer charge, which is expected to generate $1 billion per year, or signing up for the IMF program.
Some analysts have recommended requesting an IMF bailout as a better option in the face of popular opposition to the E-levy, but the administration has said that it would not do so.
Others have similarly dismissed demands for the government to join an IMF program, arguing that the only alternatives available to Ghana are fiscal discipline, a decrease in wasteful spending, and the plugging of tax leakages.\
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SOURCE: CITINEWS
