E-Levy: We must be masters of our own destiny – Ofori-Atta

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has called on Ghanaians to join hands in becoming masters of “our own destiny” by helping the government to close the revenue gap in the annual budgets.

The government has proposed an electronic levy of 1.75% to help reduce the country’s debt and deficit while enabling it to fund the growing demands of the Ghanaian people.

The E-Levy has become the subject of public debate with the minority in parliament kicking against it while the majority side pushes for it.

The impasse over the E-Levy has compelled government officials to be touring the country and explaining the benefits of the levy to the ordinary Ghanaian at town hall meetings organised by the Ministry of Information.

According to the government officials, the e-levy is the way to go to raise revenue to help develop infrastructure, create jobs and facilitate social interventions.

At the second town hall meeting at the Sekondi Takoradi Youth Hall on Wednesday, 2 February 2022, Mr. Ofori-Atta argued that the time has come for Ghanaians to step up their contribution toward paying for the demands they make.

He explained that as a sovereign country, it is important for Ghana to be the master of her own destiny by mobilising more local resources to pay for the things we demand.

He said the days when Ghana looked to international partners to bail the country out or fund her development agenda are over.

“We are the ones who have to mobilise our own resources to fund the development we want”, Mr. Ofori-Atta said, adding: “Our sovereignty and dignity require that we look inward and see how to pay up and make the Ghanaian vision a reality”.

Calls to go to the IMF for a bailout

Also at the town hall meeting was Mr. Andrew Egyapa Mercer, MP for Sekondi and Deputy Minister of Energy, who, while responding to calls that the government should forget the revenue effort and instead go the International Monetary Fund for a bailout, said that move would be an additional loan that will further deepen Ghana’s debt challenges and at the same time, add restrictions to the government’s spending in critical sectors of the economy.

He said the IMF bailout proposal being touted is not the answer to Ghana’s challenges.

Mr. Mercer called on Ghanaians to support the e-levy in order to make the dreams of the people of Ghana a reality.