Finance Minister underscores importance of E-levy
Parliament divided over E-levy
Private legal practitioner, Edudzi Tamakloe, has said that the deliberations about the Electronic Transaction Levy has revealed what he contends to be the ‘hypocrisy of President Akufo-Addo’.
Edudzi’s description of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a plaster-saint is premised on the fact that President Akufo-Addo who once led a demonstration against the Rawlings government for the Value Added Tax is unwilling to listen to the concerns of Ghanaians regarding E-levy.
Speaking on TV3 on Wednesday December 22, 2021, Edudzi, who is an aide to Former President John Dramani Mahama, said government is bent on ‘forcing’ the E-levy through because it does not consider the plight of Ghanaians.
“Akufo-Addo campaigned against VAT but today do you know what VAT has done for Ghana. But for VAT, we wouldn’t have NHIS, GETFUND, Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund.
“The last time I checked, we have even used proceeds of GIIF to support another project. This whole conversation about E-levy has come because this government thinks in a very boastful and arrogant manner, they can bulldoze their way even when Ghanaians have shown that they disagree with the introduction of the tax.”
He concluded with “Akufo-Addo is a hypocrite. If there is anyone that represents hypocrisy, he is the one.”
Edudzi hard earlier on Metro TV warned that the minority caucus in parliament will resist any attempt by the majority to circumvent the law and push through the E-levy bill.
He said the NDC MPs will manifest the party’s ‘do or die’ mantra at all times to prevent government from having his way in Parliament.
“We are not going to allow you walk over us. If you look at the very ethos of our friends in the NPP, they believe in confrontational politics. Politics of bullying you through.
“Be assured the NPP does not have monopoly over idiocy. You don’t have monopoly over idiocy. You should know that we are not going to play second fiddle to you guys. Maybe the all-die-be-die or do-or-die is starting now,” he said.
Parliament has meanwhile suspended sitting for the Christmas season with the house scheduled to reconvene on January 18, 2022 to continue discussions on the bill that could see Ghanaians pay 1.75% on any electronic transaction that exceeds 1.75%
Private legal practitioner, Edudzi Tamakloe