Professor Stephen Adei, a former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), has stated that Ghanaians must accept the E-levy in order for the government to raise the necessary revenue to solve the country’s current problems.
If Ghanaians refuse to accept the E-levy, he claims they will pay it in other ways.
Prof Adei said this in response to the President’s decision to reduce the salaries of his appointees by up to 30%, as well as the Council of State members’ allowances by 20% until the end of the year.
“Two weeks ago, I said that the executive and parliament should cut their emoluments by 25%,” he told journalists on the sidelines of a special convocation to confer honorary doctorate degrees on four eminent Ghanaians at GIMPA on Wednesday March 23. Let us get this right; even if they do, it is a small amount, and it will not save us from this situation, but it will set a good example of leadership.
“You’re sending out the message that we’re in trouble, that people are suffering, and that we want to suffer alongside you.” So that, hopefully, we will all be out in a year or a year and a half.
“So don’t think that by cutting these salaries, the problem will be solved completely, because we’re talking about a half-billion dollars when we need billions.”
“I expect [the President] to find ways of cutting expenditure, increasing revenue, cutting the size of government,” the former Board Chair of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) added.
“I believe that, despite your opposition, we should go ahead with the E-levy because it is a tax that we urgently require to save Ghana from its current predicament.” The reason for this is that there are very few options for raising revenue in the short term. If you and I do not support the government now, we will pay the price later – falling Cedis and rising inflation. People don’t realize that if they say they’re not going to pay the E-levy, they’re actually paying it.
