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GRA to engage Finance Ministry over some key anomalies in E-Levy
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has revealed it will engage the Finance Ministry to resolve key anomalies in the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-levy), which could significantly impact some Ghanaians when the tax is implemented.
A Principal Revenue Officer and Head of the Project Management Unit for GRA, Isaac Kobina Amoako, admitted that salaries paid through mobile money will attract E-levy, even though the salary would have already been taxed.
He explained that the current framework created by the law, as it stands, does not distinguish a corporate mobile money account and an individual mobile money account.
Mr Amoako added that potential challenges that may accompany this situation have come to the attention of the Authority; hence, all such concerns will be forwarded to the Finance Ministry with the hopes of having them addressed.
“That is something that has come to our attention; we’ve referred it to our superiors to look at it. But, for now, the law seems to have captured everybody, including disbursements from corporate mobile accounts. In fact, for the banks, the disbursements from corporate accounts were not mentioned, so it is clear that that is exempt.
“But in the MoMo, there was no distinction between a corporate MoMo account and individual MoMo account; so, that is where we’ve received some kind of feedback from the public that it will affect salaries, loan disbursements, and so many other things, which we’ve referred to the [Finance] Ministry,” he said.
The Authority, however, explained the scope of exemptions and how persons who transfer monies between their accounts can avoid being taxed.
In an interview on JoyNews’ The Probe, Sunday, the Head of Compliance at the Domestic Tax Unit, Victor Yao Akogo, said a cumulative transfer of ¢100 per day made by the same person will not attract E-Levy.
“A transfer between accounts owned by the same person; I have a Fidelity account, and I transfer money to my GCB account where I am doing the transfer, E-Levy will not apply. If I transfer to my Ecobank account, my Prudential bank account and my CBG account, E-Levy will not apply.
“We have a unique identifier, the Ghana Card, and that is what we are going to use. There are some people who have used their passport to register their account; we are saying that for you to qualify for the exemption.
“So there is the need to let your Ghana Card be linked to all your accounts so that it will be the unique identifier of you everywhere so that you can enjoy the exemption,” he stated.
Following the passage of the Electronic Transfer Law, the GRA has indicated its readiness to implement it from May 1.
Source: www.myjoyonline.com
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Ghana to locally refine its gold starting October 2025 – Sammy Gyamfi
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of a state-owned gold refinery in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Minerals and Mining Convention, Mr Gyamfi said the refinery will process locally mined gold into bullion instead of exporting it in its raw state.
According to him, it is unacceptable that Ghana, despite being a leading gold producer in Africa, continues to export raw gold known as dore.
He explained that the Gold Board, working with the Bank of Ghana and local refineries, will from October 2025 begin refining gold locally.
He also disclosed that an ultramodern assay laboratory will be built to ensure international standards in testing gold quality.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the refinery will be wholly state-owned and will help Ghana move away from raw mineral exports to value addition.
This, he said, will boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and position Ghana as a hub for gold refining and jewellery production in Africa.
The CEO stressed that the project forms part of government’s strategy to ensure the country benefits fully from its natural resources and to transform the mining sector into a driver of economic growth.
By: Jacob Aggrey
