Legal practitioner, Lawyer Kwame Jantuah has voiced strong opposition to the Electronic Levy also known as e-levy, calling for its removal and emphasizing how fraudulent he believes the tax is. The e-levy was introduced by the previous Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government to tax electronic financial transactions.
The levy applies to various digital payments, including mobile money transfers, bank transfers, and payments made via online platforms. The government introduced the levy in 2022 as part of its strategy to improve domestic revenue mobilization. As a result, a percentage fee is applied to mobile money transfers, bank transfers, and other digital financial activities, such as sending money, making payments for goods and services, and transferring funds through services like MTN Mobile Money.
Speaking on GHOne TV with Lantam Papanko, Lawyer Jantuah declared, “The e-levy is theft.” He stressed that many Ghanaians use mobile money (momo) as their primary bank account, questioning, “Why would the government dig its hands into my bank account?” Lawyer Jantuah further argued that taxing these forms of transactions is unfair and burdensome to ordinary citizens.
The legal practitioner also pointed out the widespread frustration from the public, who have been pressuring the government to remove these taxes. He concluded that the government should scrap the e-levy, asserting that it is detrimental to the everyday person. “When it comes to the e-levy, betting tax, and COVID tax, I think it was the haste and pressure from the electorate with regard to their wanting these taxes removed. The e-levy is theft. Why would you come and dig your hands into my bank account? Because people use momo as their bank account. That, I agree, should go.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Deborah Amuzu
