A Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei Asare has said Ghanaians are not against Electronic Transfer Levy (E-levy) adding that the government would ensure that it is passed.
In an interview with the media at the Annual Management Retreat of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in Ho, on Wednesday, 16th February 2022 Osei Asare reiterated that the bill will be passed once it goes through the necessary process and re-laid before Parliament in the coming days.
“It is a process that we are going through and we are optimistic that once we go through the process, it will be approved and when it is approved we would all benefit from the taxes that will be raised from that,” she said.
“Remember we said we are going to use part of it to enhance the YouStart program to build the capacity of our youth and also, we are also going to use some to reduce our elevated debt levels which came about as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures that we had to take.
“Finally, we are also going to use some to build on our infrastructure, especially the roads. So let’s have a positive attitude towards that because it is something that is coming in to bridge the gap,” she added.
She also observed that Ghanaians are not against the introduction of the E-levy but was quick to add that the concerns of the Ghanaian public bother on accountability, transparency, and effective usage of taxes collected.
She said, “For me, what I hear Ghanaians say about the E-levy is that; yes, we want to embrace it, we want it, it is good. But we want to see more accountability in that field -that the monies that you raised, show us how much came in and then also tell us what you utilized the revenues that came in for. So it is more about transparency and accountability.”
The Deputy Finance Minister, further assured Ghanaians that the E-levy among other taxes when collected would be used judiciously and be accounted for.
