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f E-levy has become a nuisance tax, scrap it – Dr Duffuor tells government
A former Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor has advised the government to scrap the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) if it is not raking in the needed revenue.
According to him, there is no need for the government to keep such a tax.
In an interview with Citi TV on Wednesday, Dr Duffuor insisted that the controversial levy should be abolished immediately if it has become a nuisance tax.
“We need to ask ourselves, are we getting enough from it? If we are not getting enough from it, then it is a nuisance tax, and we should scrap it.”
Meanwhile, data from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) indicates that the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) implemented in May 2022 raked in ¢861.47 million as of March 2023.
The controversial levy in the first year of implementation at a rate of 1.5% accrued ¢614.57 million.
However, in the first three months of 2023, the levy brought in ¢246.9 million for the state.
According to the data from the GRA, the E-levy registered ¢53.58 million in revenue in the first month (May 2022) of its implementation.
It further shot up to ¢59.23 million in June 2022 and consistently rose in July 2022 (¢65.0 7million), August 2022 (¢71.29 million), September 2022 (¢78.95 million), October 2022 (¢85.73 million) and November 2022 (¢93.3 million) respectively.
The E-levy inflows breached the one hundred million cedis mark to record ¢106.79 million in December 2022.
It however began the year recording lower revenue than in December 2022. This was after the rate was revised to 1%, from 1.5%.
E-levy records ¢246.9 million in quarter 1, 2023
In January 2023, the E-Levy inflow was estimated at ¢85.93 million.
It subsequently fell to ¢73.99 million, about 13.9% decline in February 2023.
However, in March 2023, the E-Levy amounted to ¢86.98 million, bringing the total collections in the first quarter of 2023 to ¢246.9 million.
The government had set a target of about ¢7 billion for E-levy in 2022. But the delay in implementation compelled it to review the target several times to about ¢800 million in the first month of implementation.
Despite the uproar about the implementation of the E-Levy, total mobile money transactions exceeded ¢1 trillion in 2022.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
The Vice President, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called for stronger action to promote gender equity and create more opportunities for women in the workplace.
She made the call in a Facebook post after joining staff at the Presidency of Ghana to mark International Women’s Day.
The celebration was held under the theme “From Commitment to Action: Promoting Equity for Every Woman in the Workplace” and focused on recognising the achievements of women while reflecting on the work needed to ensure equal opportunities.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang extended warm wishes to women across Ghana and noted that women have always played key roles in the country’s communities and economic activities.
According to her, women in the past served as healers, traders and queen mothers who contributed to leadership and governance in traditional societies.
She explained that Ghana’s cultural history shows that women have long provided knowledge, leadership and innovation to help develop communities.
The Vice President however noted that current disparities require society to examine systems and structures that may have limited opportunities for women.
She stressed that advancing gender equity will require deliberate actions and the mentoring of young women to prepare them for leadership roles.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang recognised women whose work takes place in markets, streets and small trading spaces across the country.
According to her, these women form the backbone of local economies and continue to demonstrate resilience despite the difficult conditions they face.
She commended women working at the Presidency for their dedication and leadership and reaffirmed the need to promote respect, fairness and opportunity for every woman.
The Vice President further called on both men and women to work together to break barriers and ensure that women can fully contribute to Ghana’s development.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
