Ato Forson made the comment in Parliament
E-Levy has been passed
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, North Tongu, has been wondering why his colleague from the Minority side, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson will use his bald head as an example when contributing to the E-Levy debate in Parliament.
The Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam MP, while contributing to the E-Levy debate in Parliament on Tuesday, March 29, noted how the levy has been touted as the panacea for the distressed Ghanaian economy.
“Today, we’ve been told this tax can cure most of the sicknesses of this Ghanaian economy to the extent that this tax is more powerful than most of the herbal medicines that we have seen.”
He further alleged that it has been said that “this tax can even cure Honourable Okudzeto Ablakwa’s bald head”.
Ato Forson’s comments about his colleague’s loss of hair gave rise to a moment of laughter in Parliament despite the heated debate on the bill.
But reacting to this in a Facebook post on Saturday, April 2, 2022, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who has still not gotten over how his bald head was dragged into the E-Levy discussion wondered why his 'brother', Ato Forson, ignored his 10,875-kilometre ‘motorway’ and mischievously made reference his bald.
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“I have still not gotten over how Dr. Ato Forson could ignore his 10,875-kilometre "motorway" and mischievously reference my fine and anointed baldy in his rather infamous E-Levy-cures-all debate.
“Fear brothers,” Ablakwa's post concluded.
About the E-Levy
Parliament on Tuesday approved the Electronic Transfer Levy Bill (E-Levy), 2021, paving the way for the government to rake in about GH¢6.9 billion in revenue this year.
The bill, which imposes a 1.5 per cent tax on all electronic and mobile money transfers, was approved by 137 Majority Members of Parliament (MPs).
The rate is a downward revision from the initially proposed 1.75 per cent.
Minority walks out
The approval came after the 137 MPs of the Minority side of Parliament staged a walkout of the Chamber, on the grounds that they did not want to be associated with any further proceedings on or approval of the bill, which was being considered under a certificate of urgency.
The walkout came after the House had concluded the debate on the bill and the Speaker was to put the question on the motion for the adoption of the Finance Committee’s report in 2.4 million, approximately eight per cent of the population, were registered as personal income taxpayers.
Ken Ofori-Atta said the government had, therefore, resolved to take the necessary steps to improve domestic revenue mobilisation and strengthen the competence of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in assessing electronic tax handles without compromising the pro-poor interventions of the government.
He added that between 2017 and 2021, mobile money transactions in the country increased from GH¢1.55 billion to GH¢9.86 billion.
The minister said the E-Levy had been designed to tap into e-transactions to widen the tax net, help increase the tax per capita ratio and generate the much-needed funds for the country.
“The government is of the conviction that if all the people of Ghana share the burden of domestic revenue mobilisation by equitably contributing their fair share of the taxes, the GH¢100 billion CARES Obaatanpa programme will successfully transform our economy to realise the President’s vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid, a wiser, wealthier, inclusive and sustainable, empowered and resilient society,” Ofori-Atta stated.
