'We did not expect E-levy' – Tamale residents cry

Some residents in the Tamale Metropolis have expressed worry over the introduction of the new Electronic Levy (E-levy) announced in the 2022 Budget and Economic Policy.

They said the E-levy, if approved by Parliament, could impoverish Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who operated their businesses through electronic transactions.

They said this when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) sought their views on the budget, in Tamale.

Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, on Wednesday, November 17, announced the introduction of a new 1.75 percent levy on all electronic transactions, including, mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments and inward remittances.

Presenting the Budget to Parliament, he said transactions that added up to GHC100 in a day were exempted.

Dr Wahab Abdulai Husein, a Biomedical Scientist at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, said: “Those of us in the formal sector are already burdened with some taxes, and with the introduction of this one, we will be paying more taxes since electronic transactions, especially, mobile money, has become more popular”.

“We hope that Parliament would do something about it so that we can be relieved of paying more taxes,” he said.

Mr Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Fataw, an Information Technology (IT) Technician, who also operates a mobile phone shop, said: “For us who buy and sell online, this new tax would slow down our businesses, because the additional charges would mean that we pay more for goods but accrue less profits for our services”.

He also prayed Parliament to disapprove the E-levy to help sustain his business.

Mr Imoro Maza, a trader, indicated that the new levy would increase costs of doing business, and appealed to government to reduce the levy.

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