Bright Simons, the vice president of Imani Africa, has requested that the government answer to the Ghanaian people on the manner in which the revenues from the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) have been applied to create infrastructure and change, as promised.
He made this request in light of the explanation provided for the E-levy’s implementation, which said that it would be utilized to fund infrastructure improvements and other national development requirements.
Remember how Mr. Davis Ansah Opoku, the MP for Mpraeso constituency for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), pleaded with Ghanaians to back the E-Levy so that the government could fund more development projects?
He stated that the administration was certain that the E-Levy would ultimately result in enormous benefits and that it had carefully examined the financial consequences of the proposal.
He declared, “We are not in normal times; the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed severe challenges on global economies, and the government has had to make this difficult decision.”
While the levy may not be what Ghanaians and the government had hoped for, Mr. Opoku told the chiefs and residents of Osubeng in the Kwahu South Municipality that the obstacles brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary for the government to carry out more development projects.
“We are cognizant of the difficulties Ghanaians are enduring, and we share their worries. However, in order to raise people’s standard of living, we need to run the government apparatus and carry out several development initiatives.
After the appropriations law and budget were approved by Parliament, we need to locate the funding to carry out the numerous development projects included in the budget. Without the required funds, we are unable to complete this.
“The E-Levy is a strategic tool to help raise funds for development, considering the challenges imposed on the country by the unrelenting Covid pandemic,” he said.
The e-levy policy went into effect on Sunday, May 1, 2022, following multiple back and forth in Parliament over the bill’s passage amid tense discussions and exchanges between the Minority and the Majority.
The e-levy will provide a means for all residents to participate in revenue generation initiatives aimed at advancing national development, according to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
He stated, “Contrary to the impression being created by Parliament, Ghanaians are largely in favor of paying the E-Levy; however, we have to explain to them the levy’s merits and the positive consequences it will bring.” at the 24th meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).
“I think Ghanaians deserve an account of where the massive infrastructure & transformation certain MPs promised during the debate are,” Mr. Bright Simons tweeted on Thursday, November 23, 2023, eighteen months after the e-levy went into effect. Who’s not in agreement?
18 months after e-levy came into force, I think Ghanaians deserve an account of where the massive infrastructure & transformation certain MPs promised during the debate are. Who disagrees? pic.twitter.com/DOXSHZpIHG
— Bright Simons (@BBSimons) November 23, 2023
