GRA denies claims of contracting a third party company to collect e-levy
The Ghana Revenue Authority has denied claims that it has contracted a third party to monitor the collections of the electronic transactions levy.
This follows allegations from some minority MPs that the authority acted contrary to the E-levy Act by contracting another institution and allegedly paying some $40 million to monitor the collection of e-levy.
However, speaking on PM Express, the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Mr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah said the claims by the minority MPs are inaccurate.
”Government says specifically that we have not signed any contract with anybody to pay $40 million as I have heard on some platforms, we have not signed any contract for such purposes. The point I want to emphasize is that, as an entity we have in-house software developers even though our plan is to ensure that we have a comprehensive software unite which is something that is been rolled out. We have other third party organizations that work with us, so whatever we do we do it in the name of the GRA.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Dr Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, has said the collection of the electronic transactions levy (E-Levy) will still commence on May 1, 2022.
The collection of the tax, the Commissioner General noted, will be despite the interlocutory injunction secured on the implementation of the E-Levy on May 1, 2022, by the Minority Caucus in Parliament.
Making the assertion in an interview monitored by norvanreports, the Commissioner General noted that, the decision of the GRA to go on with the collection of the said charge is due to the fact that, it has not been restrained from collecting the tax by the Attorney-General (AG).
Adding that, his outfit has not also been served with the suit against the implementation of the E-Levy.
“The Authority has not been served with the injunction and so for us everything is going on ahead as planned. I will say that if I am served with the injunction, I will comply with what the injunction says, but as at now, I cannot say we have stopped in our tracks to implementing it.
“And even with that, it is the duty of the Attorney General to tell me whether to stop or not because it is the representative of government agencies, and so therefore if I am advised by the Attorney-General to restrain from collecting the tax or do any other thing, I will comply with it, but for now, we are still moving on,” he stated.
Given the assertions made by the Commissioner-General, the Authority seems unperturbed by the suit and injunction on the implementation of the E-Levy on May 1.
According to the Minority in Parliament, should the GRA continue with its plan to implement the tax on May 1, it will be in contempt of the Supreme Court.
Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Idrissu, and two NDC MPs are urging the Supreme Court to restrain the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) from its planned implementation of the Electronic Transactions Levy on May 1.
Together with Mahama Ayariga and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the MPs have sued the Attorney-General arguing that Parliament did not have the required number of at least half of its members present when the controversial tax policy was approved.
But before the case is determined by the Supreme Court, the legislators want this interim measure in place.
“That since the constitutional validity of the passage of the Electronic Transfer Levy Act, 2022(Act 1075) is the gravamen of our claim before the Honourable Court, it is proper, just, and equitable that the Government of Ghana through the GRA or its officers and agents are restrained from commencing with the implementation of the Levy until the determination of the substantive suit before the Honourable Court”, documents filed on behalf of the three legislators say.
