E-levy not the way to go, Finance lecturer
Support E-levy, Ken Ofori-Atta
Finance Lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School, Professor Godfred Bokpin, has described the most talked-about tax, E-levy, as regressive.
He indicated that E-levy is not the remedy to solve the country's problems as stated by government.
Prof. Bopkin said E-levy cannot be used to cushion government after spending extravagantly.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, the finance lecturer said it's about time government holds a national conversation on returning to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance than burden Ghanaians with taxes.
“I don’t support E-levy because it is not the way to go. It’s regressive and even if it’s passed, it’s not Ghana’s solution. But for going back to IMF, let’s have a national conversation around it. Let’s have a home-grown way with clear benchmark indicators and requirements," Prof. Bopkin said.
"That cannot support this large government and wasteful expenditures. This is the kind of home-grown solution we are talking about because we can’t largely leave out the inefficiencies and talk about E-levy as the only solution. No, we have to look at it holistically,” he added.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has warned of dire consequences for the Ghanaian economy if the E-levy is not passed.
He, therefore, entreated Ghanaians to support the passage of the E-levy bill.
Lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School, Prof Godfred Bokpin