Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, MP for Tema West, has indicated that the government’s proposed 1.75 percent e-levy is not a mandatory tax, and that Ghanaians who oppose it should refrain from engaging in electronic transactions.
During an interview with JoyNews Parliamentary journalist Kwesi Parker Wilson on Wednesday, the former Deputy Minister of Trade made these remarks.
“It is not a mandatory tax; if you do not participate in MoMo, you will not be charged.” So don’t do MoMo if you don’t want to pay. Carlos Ahenkorah stated, “It’s simple.”
According to the legislator, the e-levy is a welcome initiative which is designed to mobilise more revenue to enhance development, and therefore he does not understand the opposition against the proposal.
He made these assertions in reaction to a protest by public advocacy group, ‘Justice for Ghana’, who are agitating against the proposed 1.75% e-levy.
The group, led by Bernard Mornarh contends that the e-levy is unnecessary, as it will impose more hardship on already suffering Ghanaians.
But according to Mr. Carlos Ahenkorah, the agitation by the group does not augur well for the progress of the country. In his view, the protesters should rather help government with laudable ideas instead of opposing the 1.75% e-levy.
The MP also added that, if the e-levy is scrapped, the government may have to resort to borrowing from other sources, which would eventually become a burden on citizens.
“What I’m telling them is that they don’t seem to understand what’s going on. Look, if they continue, and government decides that fine, I am not going to charge anymore e-levy, government would have to go and borrow that money, and it becomes me and you our burden to pay. So they should forget about what they’re doing and rather let us see how we can assist government to run this country”, Mr. Carlos Ahenkorah argued.
