The Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG) is very worried that about 4,000 of its members are out of jobs a few weeks after the implementation of the controversial e-levy.
Ernest Anambire, the Upper East Regional Vice-Chairman of Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana has revealed that the e-levy has negatively affected a majority of their member’s businesses.
“It’s no longer business as usual after the implementation of the e-levy. If you have been following trends, even when the government came out to announce the implementation of the e-levy we made our stand clear that this thing is not coming to help Ghanaians and especially we the MOMO agents. As I talk to you now a majority of our agents’ business has been affected by this e-levy thing that has been put in place.”
He says agents can now count on their fingers how many people have come to make transactions in a day. That according to him has not been the case until the implementation of the e-levy.
Mr Anambire stated on A1Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show that he is now paying his employees from the business capital since the e-levy was implemented.
“Majority of us we engaged others in addition. I have two people who work with me and virtually I have to pay the people who assist me to do the work with my own capital and that is the situation we find ourselves. The majority have to even fold up. One month down the line even the Bank of Ghana data came out that 4,000 agents have folded up from May to June because they could not withstand the pressure that is now coming.”
Speaking on third-party transactions now illegal, the MMAAG Deputy Vice Chairman mentioned that third-party transactions only became illegal after the implementation of the e-levy.
“Even before the e-levy our transactions were normal somebody wants to send money, we send and the telecos made us understand that we don’t charge a customer when he is coming to send money to another person, but this whole issue of the third party comes along after the implementation of the e-levy. They say that sending money now to another person’s account is considered illegal now.”
According to him, the illegality of third-party transactions was never discussed or mentioned before the e-levy implementation. He says the third-party transaction is only illegal because of the e-levy implementation.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Osuman Kaapore Tahiru|Ghana
