Majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu has intimated that Parliament has approved the 1.75 percent levy on all electronic transactions in a unanimous vote.
He added that the first hurdle in the approval of the bill has been done since the House supported the E-levy and voted a motion to accept the budget enacted by Parliament, which contained the Appropriation Bill.
He made the disclosure when he addressed a capacity building workshop organised for the Majority Caucus in Parliament and some Ministers of State, on January 22, 2022.
In his words: “It is a difficulty for me when people are kicking against the e-levy when you know that in the adoption of the motion to approve the budget, we approved of that. So, it means that the first step has already been surmounted.
“The e-levy has been factored into the various estimates that we have approved for all the sectors. That is the second thing we did. The third step is when we encapsulated everything into the Appropriation Bill and passed the bill unanimously. What does it mean, you have approved of the E-levy,”
“So when we have done all these three and turn around and say that you (Members of Parliament) are opposed to the Bill then perhaps you didn’t know what you were doing,”
The government set out GH241,933,000 for services as a necessary aspect of the policy implementation strategy.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta proposed a new levy on all electronic transactions that would be paid by the government in 2022 to broaden the tax net and bring in the informal economy.
If passed by Parliament, the planned E-levy will take effect on February 1, 2022.
The tax has elicited diverse reactions, with some Ghanaians railing against it, claiming that it will just add to their financial burden.
The minority in parliament has also stated that it will oppose the proposal’s ratification.
SOURCE: www.Ghgossip.com
