E-levy to be used as collateral for loans, Amoako Atta
Government to use E-levy revenue for road construction, tackling unemployment
Executive Director of the Alliance of Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson, has posited that Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, will in the coming days retract his comment on the controversial E-Levy.
Kwasi Amoako-Attah, while responding to a question from Adaklu MP, Kwame Governs Agbodza on whether road tolls will be reintroduced disclosed that the government is seeking to use E-Levy as collateral after its passage in Parliament.
“The Government in its wisdom has called for the passage of E-Levy to bring in more revenue to build the road infrastructure of our country.
“So, government is looking forward to the passage of E-Levy that will bring in greater revenue that would be securitized and then used to raise a bond if possible, to build the road sector infrastructure.
“So, government direction and policy is to bring in better form of the collection because the toll revenue is built in the proposed E-Levy,” Amoako-Attah said
But in a post on his social media handle, the ASEPA boss referencing how the minister apologised for his toll-booth for washroom comment noted that he was going to do the same.
He was responding to a social media user who sorts to hail him for predicting that the E-Levy will serve as collateral for the government to borrow it is when passed.
“Me y3m koraa ahye me…the way they will lash him tonight eh for revealing their secret eh, he will rush and come and retract like he did with the toll-booth for washroom saga!” Mensah Thompson wrote.
Background
Members of Parliament have sharply been divided over the controversial E-levy since it was announced on November 17 in the government’s 2022 budget statement.
While the majority of NPP MPs are in support of it, the NDC minority side is opposed to it.
The bill, if passed in its current form, will slap a 1.75% charge on all electronic transactions including MoMo.
The government contends that the new tax measure to help to expand the tax net in order for everyone to contribute to the country’s development.
Roads Minister, Kwasi Amoako-Attah