The Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, Rex Asanga has waded into the conversation about the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy (E-levy). He threw his weight behind the passage of the Bill currently before Parliament extolling the prospects of the E-levy.
According to Mr. Asanga, most Ghanaians have been misinformed as to what exactly the E-Levy is with the opposition NDC and its Minority Group in Parliament capitalizing on the already existing confusion to continue to throw dust into the eyes of the people.
He mounted a spirited defence in favour of the E-levy suggesting that the Levy, contrary to statements that it will target the poor, would rather target the rich in society.
Mr. Asanga who spoke exclusively to A1 Radio’s Kennedy Zongbil explained that, rural folks in the various communities do not exceed the threshold of Ghc 100.00. Therefore, their transactions would not attract any charges as they have been led to believe.
He stated, “the argument that the E-Levy is going to hurt the poor is rather contrary to the fact. The thing is for the middle class and those who have, I don’t think my mother will ever send mobile money. The people in my village I don’t know how many of them will ever send mobile money”.
“They are recipients and recipients don’t pay. So the poor actually are not going to be tax. The E- Levy is a tax for the rich and the middle class so that we can use it to develop the poor. I think we should put the politics aside and then approve the E-Levy” he stressed.
Answering questions on what the alternative will be if the E-Levy does not go through, he mentioned that, the government has through the Ghana Card registration has been able to capture many individuals and could help in widening the tax net and involve many individuals to pay their taxes.
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