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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Tarkwa Nsuaem, George Mireku Duker has allayed the fears of Ghanaians on the controversial e-levy.
He said the tax will basically only affect the rich in society since they are the ones who mostly transact in mobile money.
Speaking on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources said, E-levy was not a punishment as well as not a tax for the poor as the NDC has been trumpeting.
He stated that the poor were not going to be affected by the tax, suggesting that they do not send more than GH₵100 – the threshold exempted from E-levy charges.
“The E-levy is not a punishment but rather a means to develop. I as MP have read the bill and come to understand that its implementation will not impose hardship on anyone.”
“If you go to my hometown Dompem, where it has rained and removed the roofs of some houses, how many people do transact Momo transfers if you talk about abject poverty. Where will they get to do the MoMo even in Ajumako Essiam?
“The E-levy is not a tax for the poor like the NDC wants us to believe. It is the rich who do MoMo transfers. Not necessarily all of them but I am talking about the majority of them”, he added.
“Before you send money to someone, it means you have gotten some money. Most of them are well-to-do. Even if it’s the poor who is sending money, I don’t believe it is more than GH₵100 previously GH₵1,000 in the old currency.”
“Where is the poor person going to get GH₵100 to send it to someone? If the poor person will send money, it is usually GH₵20, GH₵50, and such persons are not affected by the E-levy,” Mr. Mireku Duker emphasized.
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has disclosed that deductions for the newly passed e-levy will start in May.
Speaking to the press at the State of the Nation address in Accra, Mr. Ofori-Atta said the Ghana Revenue Authority has to configure their systems for it to take full effect.
“We had some meetings with Controller and Accountant Generals Department (CAGD) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and they have said right at the beginning of May they should be able to put their system together,” he said.
