One of the Telecommunication juggernauts in Ghana, MTN has denied increasing mobile money charges by 10% on merchant numbers.
It can be recalled that information was going around on the media suggesting mobile money charges on merchant sims were going to be increased.
MTN Ghana Has Stated that:
“Please be informed that MTN Ghana has not communicated any changes in MoMo service charges. The circulated
information is not sanctioned and does not represent MTN’s position. We urge you to disregard and ignore the message and its contents totally Thank you”.
But before the Communique above, MTN had already issued another message to merchant sims, notifying them.of the Deductions to be made.
Statement
“Yello valued MoMo Agent, please be informed that based on directive from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), a tax of 10% will be charged on your Cash Out Commission effective 1st July 2021. For further enquiries, please call 114. Thank you.”
A broadcast journalist by name Kofi Wusu Brempong has contacted the network company and had this to say:
“There’s a communication gap between MTN and the Mobile money agents association of Ghana. The agents are saying that the taxes are too much,they’re already paying 10%tax on their profit and now another 10% making 20 in total. They explained to me on radio yesterday that they wanted to engage MTN on the issue so MTN will take on that charges but they refused even though Vodafone did so they have no other option than to relinquish it on the customers.”
According to a Mobile Money Merchant by Name William Mensah, he had this to say:
“It is not true. I am a merchant and MTN sent the message to me. I called them through merchant code for more explanation which they mentioned it to me categorically that, it is true and the message is coming from them. They are doing that because government has increased their taxes. It is not only MTN but all mobile money Networks. Now agents have realized it won’t favour them so they are also pushing it to customers.”
Most People or Customers have suggested that the development could push merchants to push the burden on customers.
Kweku Kaakyire Akua
“William Mensah I expected this. It came out that over Gh₵8 billion transactions were made on MOMO for first quarter especially on mtn. Conversations then started that they should be taxed from it because even the traditional banks couldn’t make that amount(banks pay tax to the govt but these telcos don’t).
We were discussing this at work and i told them these telcos will definitely push it to us the final consumers if the tax thing should happen. These telcos will never agree to pay da”
William Mensah
“I am surprised. They told me I shouldn’t charge customers for anything again but I can’t work for free too”.
Jonathan Opoku Oti
“William Mensah Don’t you think you charging extra 1gh on a 100gh withdrawal is robbery? If you have issues, settle it with the telcos but don’t put your losses on the innocent customer who has already paid the service charges. It’s between you and MTN but not the customers. If you take extra 1gh, are u not charging more than the 10% tax increment? Why don’t you take the equivalent amount of the 10% which is 10pesewas?”.
