Parliament chamber turns into boxing arena as MPs fight over e-levy
Parliament adjourns sitting indefinitely
Chief Executive of the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has called on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to intervene in the brouhaha that has greeted the e-levy bill in parliament.
According to him, the current impasse on the contentious bill can only be resolved if the president offers concession on the levy.
“Only the Executive can help end the stalemate. The President should man up and offer concessions on the E-levy,” he tweeted.
The minority side of the House has been in stiff opposition to certain sections of the 2022 budget statement particularly the e-levy which will slap a 1.75% charge on electronic transactions including mobile money.
To this effect, it tabled five concessions it wanted addressed before it will lend its support to the budget.
The demands were for government to suspend the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy), withdraw of Agyapa deal and to provide for tidal waves disaster victims in Keta and its environs.
The rest were demands for government to properly re-construct the wording relating to the Aker Energy deal and to review the Benchmark Value for Imports.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta at a press conference in Accra on December 6, 2021 agreed to four out of the five demands of the minority but disclosed that no consensus had been reached on the e-levy.
He said he had written to the Speaker of Parliament, formally communicating the details of the modifications in response to emerging concerns by all stakeholders, including the Minority in Parliament.
Parliamentary sitting on Monday December 20, 2021 denigrated into a chaotic scene as MPs brutally assaulted each other following attempts by first deputy speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu to recuse himself for second deputy speaker Andrew Asiamah to take his seat whiles he goes to participate in a voting process to determine whether or not the contentious e-levy bill should be considered under a certificate of urgency.
This is the third major chaos in the 8th parliament since its inauguration.
Franklin Cudjoe with President Akufo-Addo