Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Upper West Akyim, Derek Ohene Bekoe, has reacted to the Majority leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu’s comment on the controversial e-levy.
According to Mr Mensah Bonsu, Parliament has already approved the 1.75% levy on all electronic transactions.
“It is a difficulty for me when people are kicking against the e-levy when you know that in the adoption of the motion to approve the budget, we approved of that. So, it means that the first step has already been surmounted.
The Suame MP again said the House did not only approve the E-levy but the motion to approve the budget adopted in Parliament, which included the Appropriation Bill was passed.
“The e-levy has been factored into the various estimates that we have approved for all the sectors. That is the second thing we did. The third step is when we encapsulated everything into the Appropriation Bill and passed the bill unanimously. What does it mean, you have approved of the E-levy”.
However, while speaking on Badwam on Adom TV, Mr Bekoe said his statement concerning the controversial e-levy is a posture of arrogance and that the e-levy has not been fully approved.
“It’s a posture of arrogance, he knows definitely that we are not done with the bill but he went to that workshop and made such a statement,” he said.
He noted that such comments from the Majority Leader don’t build the consensus needed in Parliament for the passage of the bill.
According to him, no one can implement a bill without the backing of the law, especially as the House will deliberate on the bill in the coming days.
“Without legislation can the e-levy work, without the legislation can they implement the e-levy? If he thinks the e-levy has been passed, he should implement it,” he disclosed.
Mr. Bekoe reiterated that, if the e-levy has been approved there wouldn’t have been a scuffle in Parliament over the bill and there wouldn’t be further consultations on the bill.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced a new levy to be charged by the government in 2022 on all electronic transactions to widen the tax net and rope in the informal sector.
The proposed E-levy, if approved by Parliament, will come into effect on February 1, 2022.
The tax has since been met with mixed reactions, with Ghanaians kicking against it and stressing that it will only place an extra burden on their finances.
The Minority in parliament has also announced that it will not support approval for the proposal.
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