Minority should take a second look at the passage of E-Levy - UPSA professor

Professor at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), John Mawutor has told the Minority in Parliament to take a second look at passing the E-Levy if the country is to thrive.

He made the call on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, March 26 with Dzifa Bampoh.

“The minority should take a second look at passing the e-levy if we want the economy to thrive,” Professor Mawutor said.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, earlier said that the position taken by National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament against the E-Levy is scaring away investors from the country.

Mr Ofori-Atta said also that it is affecting the implementation of government porgramme.

Announcing key economic measures to deal with the current challenges facing the economy on Thursday, March 24, Mr Ofori-Atta said “Parliament will approve the 2022 budget , appropriation and its expenditure plans and turn to vote against one of the key revenue measures that was being introduced, E-levy.

“The stance of the Minority in Parliament against the E-levy would gravely affect investor confidence and our capacity to to implement our programmes.”

The Minority, in opposing the E-levy said the policy proposal in the 2022 budget statement is a disincentive to the growth of the digital economy.

To that end, their leader Haruna Iddrisu said, the Minority will not support it.

Speaking at a post-budget workshop in Ho on Saturday, November 20, he said “Mr Speaker, understandably, we see that the Minister of Finance seeks to introduce some measures including the now popularly declared e-levy or digital levy as some have quite named it.

“Mr Speaker, our concern is whether the e-levy itself is not and will not be a disincentive to the growth of digital economy in our country. We are convinced that the e-levy may as well even be a disincentive to investment and a disincentive to private sector development in our country. We in the minority may not and will not support government with the introduction of that particular e-levy . We are unable to build national consensus on that particular matter.”