Government is insensitive for hosting town hall meeting in Western Region - MP

Government holds town hall meeting on E-Levy

E-Levy to be considered in parliament

My constituents want E-Levy rejected

Member of Parliament for Evalue Ajomoro Gwira Constituency, Kofi Arko Nokoe has said government is insensitive for hosting an E-Levy town hall meeting in the Western Region.

According to him, the people

Read full articlein the region are currently struggling under the current government amid its abundance of natural resources yet government thought it wise to lecture them on E-Levy.

Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, he said government is seeking to establish a point when there is really nothing to establish.

“The Nana Akuffo Addo-Bawumia led government continues to unsuccessfully seek permanency where permanency cannot be found for its unpopular E-levy Bill with an attempt that landed the team made of up Ken Ofori Atta, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah. In Takoradi, the Regional Capital of the struggling Western Region which amid its belly full of natural resources struggles gravely under this government.”

He adds that the introduction of E-Levy aside other factors will also ruin the long run the gains made to make Ghana a cashless country.

“At a time when the people of the Western Region, mainly farmers cocoa farmers are being slapped with the price of a bag of an NPK fertilzer from Ghc108 to Ghc320, at a time when most of the fishermen along the beach are experiencing acute shortages and high cost of premix fuel, at a time when most of the roads from Takoradi, through to Tarkwa, Prestea, Bogoso, Kutukrom and the Amanfis are in a terrible state even after the billions borrowed by this Nana Akuffo Addo - Bawumia government, they still have the moral right to garner resources, to fly minsters, MMDCES and party apparatchiks to the regional capital to ask the tomato seller at the Jubilee Grounds converted market, struggling to make an end meet to engage in a retrogressive tax which doesn't only amount to larceny, for want of a better word but which will ruin in the long run the gains made in our journey to make Ghana a cashless country,” Kofi Nokoe noted.

He however added that following the engagement of government with the people of the Western Region, his constituents have called on him to resist the E-Levy.

"It was interesting to observe how, the speakers struggled in all spheres to convince the blue collar young man in the city trying to send an amount of Ghc500 to his sick mother Axim Government Hospital, that he will be slapped with a total transaction charge of Ghc22 (in and out) by the 2% charge on the extra Ghc400 by the telcos and the 3.5 by the Government's E-Levy. The questions from the audience gave instant results of the unfruitful engagement right in front of all, and proceeded with solidarity calls on us their representatives in parliament to hold our resolute stand against this form of broad day robbery."

The government has held series of town hall meetings to sensitize Ghanaians on the proposed 1.75% electronic transaction levy, which is awaiting approval or otherwise by parliament.

The E-Levy when passed will tax all electronic transactions including Mobile Money and bank transfers among other things.