Ghanaians to start paying E-levy in May – Ken Ofori-Atta
By May 2022 the government expects all systems that will make room for the smooth implementation of the E-levy to be in place.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Ataa revealed that discussions have been ongoing with the Controller and Accountant Generals Department and the Ghana Revenue Authority in this regard.
“We had some meetings with the Controller General and GRA, and they have indicated to us that right at the beginning of May, they should be able to get the systems altogether,” he noted.
The levy on electronic transactions is pegged at 1.5 per cent, which includes mobile-money payments. As it stands now such charges will apply to electronic transactions that are more than GH¢100 daily.
Before its introduction government said the levy would widen the tax net and raise an extra GH¢6.9 billion in 2022 when it was first announced in the budget.
But it was until the end of March for the levy to be laid in Parliament for consideration. Ghana’s legislature went ahead to pass it in the absence of the opposition lawmakers, who staged a walked out before the Bill was seriously considered.
The Minority caucus had complained that it had been blindsided by the unexpected laying of the controversial tax. They subsequently commenced a legal battle by moving to challenge the passage of the levy at the Supreme Court.
The opposition lawmakers on the suit are the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, Mahama Ayariga of Bawku Central, and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa of North Tongu.
They are contending that Parliament did not have the right numbers to form a quorum for the passage of the E-levy Bill into law. They thus want the passage declared void.
