E-Levy: All attempts to engage government have proved futile – MoMo Agents

MoMo Agents to embark on strike December 23

Proposed E-Levy Bill approved by Finance Committee

1.75 percent charge will affect businesses, citizens – Minority

The Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana have lamented over their lack of involvement in the introduction of the proposed Electronic Transactions Levy.

General Secretary of the association Evans Otumfuo said various attempts to secure an audience with the government in quest of getting their concerns addressed have yielded no results.

In an interaction on Citi TV's Point of View segment, Otumfuo explained that the MoMo Agents Association play a key role hence more consultation is required prior to the introduction and implementation of such policies.

“We have tried to get an audience with the government to present our side of the issue, but it seems we are not getting that audience. I mean we keep hearing that government is in consultation with stakeholders, but as an association, we don’t seem to know what role we play with regards to a critical policy like this since we have not been engaged. For over a month now government hasn’t seen a need to engage us,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana have threatened to embark on an industrial strike on Thursday, December 23 2021, in protest over the proposed 1.75 percent E-Levy.

The levy which was first announced by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in the 2022 budget has been kicked against by a cross-section of the public and lawmakers in Parliament.

The levy when passed seeks to impose a 1.75 percent charge on all electronic transactions covering mobile money, inward remittances, ATM withdrawals among others.