Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Ghana’s Minister for Communication, says the E-levy will go a long way to reduce Ghana’s dependence on loans and grants.
Government introduced E-levy to undertake developmental projects.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday 17th November 2021, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Attah stated the tax will widen the tax net and rope in the informal sector.
He added that Electronic transactions covering mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments and inward remittances will be charged at an applicable rate of 1.75%, which shall be borne by the sender except inward remittances, which will be borne by the recipient.
Speaking at the Government Townhall meeting on the E-levy proposal in Koforidua on Thursday January 27, the Ablekuma West Member of Parliament explained that if government will be able to finance projects, government would have to be financially independent.
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She noted that the E-levy is an avenue to generate domestic revenues for development.
According to Ursula, so long as we depend on loans the “lenders” will dictate the pace of our developments.
“So long as we depend on loans, they [donors] will dictate the pace of our developments. We need to find a way to increase domestic revenue mobilization” .
“We are talking about a Ghana beyond aid, we need to be able to finance our own development and stop the dependence on either loans or grants or aid from other countries, if we are to be truly independent,” Ursula Owusu-Ekuful added.
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