GBA ‘quiet as church rats’ over E-levy - #FixTheCountry convener

CSOs urged to speak on E-levy

Minority vs. Majority disagreements on levy persists

Government hopes to pass E-levy soon

Amid the raging back and forth around the Electronic Transactions (E-levy) Bill before Parliament, civil society organizations have been called upon to state their position on the issue.

Whereas some in the financial sector have spoken out warning the government on one hand about the negative impact and or appealing for a reduction of the rate, one CSO has been quiet – i.e. the Ghana Bar Association.

That state of affairs has irked Oliver Barker-Vormawor, one of the conveners of the #FixTheCountry campaign. He described the muteness of the GBA as one that could be likened to ‘church rats.’

He posted a photo of the GBA’s payment platform that had options for manual or electronic payment. A note beneath the two options read: “Please note that transaction charges of GHC20 apply to electronic payment.”

Barker-Vormawor, himself a lawyer, captioned the photo: “The Ghana Bar Association will rather do this than fight the E-Levy with you. They are quiet as church rats. Why?”

The E-levy since its announcement by the Finance Minister in November 2021 has received public backlash from some Ghanaians especially Members of Parliament from the Minority Caucus.

At a recent press conference, the Minister announced a number of modifications to the Bill and said the government continued to engage stakeholders on the bill ahead of resubmission before MPs.

Background

On November 17, 2021, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced the introduction of 1.75% tax on all electronic transactions during the 2022 budget presentation before parliament.

According to him, this new directive forms part of strategies to widen the country’s tax net.

He added that the 1.75% tax is also to enhance financial inclusion and protect the vulnerable in the country.