The Chief Executive for IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has chastised the government over the allocation of over GH¢240 million in the 2022 budget for the collection of the 1.75% levy on electronic transactions.
According to him, it doesn’t support the reasons given for the proposed levy.
The matter of the imposition of the e-levy in the 2022 budget remains the most contentious in the house.
The Minority in Parliament was first to raise red flags over the allocation of over GH¢240 million for revenue assurance for the collection of the levy.
Speaking to Citi News, Ablakwa indicated that the Minority will not support the imposition of the e-levy nor the allocation of GH¢240 million for revenue assurance and collection of the levy.
However, the government has justified the allocation insisting it’s in line with best practices.
Nonetheless, speaking on Citi TV/Citi FM’s current affairs programme, The Big Issue on Saturday, December 11, 2021, Mr. Franklin Cudjoe urged the government to tread cautiously on the issue.
He added that the GRA and KelniGvG can do the collection on behalf of the government.
“We tend to spend too much in this country to collect some of these taxes. And I think the government is compounding the problems of the e-levy just when some of us were beginning to understand some of the reasons given.”
“I think this GHS241 million allocation for this e-levy is needless. It flies in the face of the motive for this tax. So I’m appalled at this decision, when in actual fact there is some supposed entity in place to do the collection.”
