Government factored the vulnerable before introducing e-levy – Fati Abubakar

Deputy Minister for Information, Fatimatu Abubakari, has insisted that the e-levy introduced the electronic transaction out of consideration for the poor.

She argued that the only way to verify her claim was to consider the “qualification” of the e-levy.

Explaining to Happy FM’s Don Prah on the ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show, she said: “The levy on e-transaction is not universal. It is qualified. And that qualification will inform everyone that we had the vulnerable and poor in mind before introducing the levy.

The transaction levy is 1.75 percent and not 2 percent or 5 percent on selected e-transaction namely the mobile money, bank and remittances.”

Narrowing the conversation on MoMo, Fatimatu shared that almost forty percent of all MoMo transactions in Ghana were less than 100 Ghana cedis and as such, for government to exclude these transactions from the e-levy is proof that the government has the poor at heart.

The government of Ghana has introduced an electronic transaction levy, E-Levy on Mobile Money transactions and other electronic transactions.

This was announced by Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta during the 2022 Budget Reading in Parliament today, 17th November 2021.

The Minister said this was a strategy to widen the tax net and reduce the burden on the few Ghanaians paying their taxes.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta presented the 2022 budget today Wednesday, November, 17th 2021.

It had previously been scheduled for November 15, 2021, however, the Second Deputy Speaker, Mr Andrew Asiamah Amoako, (Ind., Fomena) announced the date reversal on Wednesday and said the House will have other important events to attend on November 15.

The presentation of the budget is by Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and section 21 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).