President Akufo-Addo has justified the passing of the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy (E-levy) stating that it will aid in reviving the economy.
In an interview with BBC’s Peter Okwoche, the President emphasized that his government is doing all it can to revive the economy and bring it to the state Ghanaians want it to be.
“In Ghana, the recovery programme we have is very credible and that is what is going to give us the opportunity to come out of this period a stronger economy, and it is that future we are looking at.
The digital economy is emerging as the biggest economy in the country and for a long period, it has not had any tax at all, so it is important that it also comes into the net,” he stated.
He continued “The world is going through very difficult times. Ghana is no exception, Nigeria is no exception. There is no country in the world that has escaped the ravages of COVID-19. What you need to look at is the elements being put on the ground that looks beyond the Russia Ukraine war.”
In other news, controversial radio and TV personality, Mr. Logic, says Ghanaians should vote out the New Patriotic Party if they fail to account for the E-levy.
According to Mr. Logic, the passing of the e-levy is a step in the right direction, because, the world is going cashless.
Therefore, Ghanaians should comply with the new tax scheme responsibly and do away with the bickering.
“Let’s start being very responsible and stop complaining about the levy,” he said.
In his opinion, digital transactions, irrespective of the charges, are more convenient than holding huge sums of money and transporting it to the recipient’s destination.
The outspoken showbiz pundit added that it is more expensive and time-consuming to make transactions in person since one would have to board a car or wait for long periods in queues to make withdrawals at banks and other money vending points.
According to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, the tax is likely to take effect on 1st May, 2022.
