Bawumia goes silent on E-levy at NPP conference

Over 6000 attend NPP conference

Bawumia calls for unity in NPP

Parliament to vote on E-levy

Vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was at his oratory best at the 2021 National Delegates Conference of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Kumasi on Sunday, December 19, 2021, dishing it out to the National Democratic Congress over their show of incompetence in the 2020 election petition.

Bawumia began his speech with adulations for the rank and file of the party for their role in the party’s victory in the 2020 elections before slamming the NDC.

He also touched on digital innovations by the government and stressed the need for the party to retain power in 2024 irrespective of who is elected as flagbearer.

The vice president preached unity and underscored the importance of the various social intervention programs implemented by the government.

Conspicuously missing from the speech however is the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy.

Ahead of the conference, it was expected that Dr Bawumia who is the government’s lead on matters of digitization will address the issues around the controversial levy.

With the minority and the National Democratic Congress adopting an uncompromising stance on the levy, expectations were rife that Dr Bawumia would leverage on the platform to elucidate on the importance of the levy and aim a dig at the NDC.

As it turned out, the E-levy was not part of Dr Bawumia's speech at the conference. Instead, it was the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who canvassed support for the levy at the conference.

He cautioned the MPs on the need to approve the bill in order to facilitate socio-economic development in the country.

“The E-levy is a major booster for development. Don’t vote against it. It will help build schools, hospitals among others in your constituencies,” Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said.

About the E-levy