Over 120,000 persons reimbursed for wrongful E-levy deductions – GRA
After the mishap that characterized the first two days of the implementation of the electronic transactions levy, over 120,000 people have so far been reimbursed for wrongful deductions.
Isaac Kobina Amoako, Head of Project Management Unit at the Ghana Revenue Authority said “the data we had for those who had a refund on 1st of May from one particular charging entity was around 120,000 customers whose monies have been refunded for 1st of May. I do not have the statistics for the other charging entities and for the other days that the reversal has been made. We’ve met Mobile Money Association, and we’ve seen that the transfers have stabilized.”
“People are now gaining confidence that when they transact with the vendors, cash is not affected by the E-levy. Cash-out is also not affected by E-levy and with the provision for also online businesses where they are being protected so that when you are purchasing online you don’t have to pay e-levy.”
He addressed the press on the sidelines of sensitization by the Ghana Revenue Authority for some trade associations in Accra on the E-levy.
After many agitations against the Electronic Transactions Levy, it finally kick-started on the 1st of May 2022. But it wasn’t devoid of the usual challenges that confront the implementation of a policy, especially in its initial stages.
Issues like overcharging people while others had monies deducted from their accounts even though their transactions were exempted from paying the levy were among the challenges faced.
This led to many taking to social media to vent their frustration with the situation.
But after two weeks into the introduction of the policy, some of these concerns have already been addressed.
The E-levy is a 1.5 per cent tax on selected electronic transactions introduced by the government in the 2022 budget as part of efforts to raise revenue locally.
