Member of Parliament (MP) for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, says if Ghanaians don’t accept and pay the Electronic Transaction levy (E-Levy) then the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy introduced by the New Patriotic Party may be scrapped.
According to him, the inability of parliament to pass the E-levy bill will mandate the Akufo-Addo government to visit the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that will in turn set the conditions for the Free SHS policy to be aborted.
Mr Baafi, speaking to some members of his constituency during a town hall meeting, said:
If we don’t pay the E-levy and we go to the World Bank or the IMF for loans, they will ask Akufo-Addo to cancel the free SHS which will affect your children so you must all accept the E-levy and pay it so it helps all of us
Mr Michael Okyere Baafi
His comments, however, follows the Roads and Highways Minister Kwasi Amoako-Atta’s promise to pay road contractors their outstanding debts if the controversial E-levy is passed.
“You are going to benefit directly from its implementation. No serious government will joke with its contractors,” the Minister told the leadership of the Road Contractors Association in a meeting on Monday.
The Minister also said toll booths will be turned into places of convenience for motorists and passengers who ply the motorway.
“We even want to refurbish all those toll booth structures to provide proper and decent washrooms for use by motorists to avoid situations where motorists stop to ease themselves indiscriminately.”
The E-levy has been heavily challenged by the opposition NDC MPs and a section of Ghanaians.
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