Finance Minister hints of a reduction in proposed 1.75% E-Levy
Due to the concerns raised by Ghanaians, the E-levy is said to be reviewed downwards by government, the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has hinted.
The Minister made the disclosure while making his final submission before Parliament to address concerns raised by Ghanaians after the presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government in Parliament on November 17.
According to the Finance Minister, the move is to manage the impact of the policy on citizens.
The reduction in the E-Levy rate the Finance Minister further noted, will be done in consultation with the various telecommunication companies in the country.
“We have considered the issue of the 1.75% E-Levy in which Mr Speaker, we’re in discussions with the various telcos and to scale back and moderate the impact of the 1.75% E-Levy so that in the end, the impact on the citizenry will be manageable,” he stated.
The Minority in an earlier statement indicated that the government should suspend the E-Levy and properly engage stakeholders to agree on a reasonable rate.
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“How can mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments, and inward remittances be charged 1.75%? The policy is retrogressive, not pro-poor and does not support the much-touted digitalisation agenda and cash lite economy that we all yearn for,” noted the Minority Caucus in Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta today, Wednesday, 1 December 2021, is expected to hold a press conference at which he is expected to address some thorny issues raised by the Minority Caucus and the citizenry concerning the 2022 budget statement.
The Minister is likely to announce the newly revised rate for the E-Levy.
The press conference will take place at 3pm at the auditorium of the Ministry of Information.
