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Support The E-Levy; We Can't Keep Borrowing - Kwamena Duncan Urges Ghanaians

Former Minister of Central Region, Kwamena Duncan, has spurred Ghanaians to support the e-levy policy by the government.

Since the announcement of the e-levy by the Finance Minister in his presentation of the 2022 budget, there have been heated arguments on its significance.

Some critics, majorly the Minority in Parliament, have argued this is a ploy by the government to siphon money from Ghanaians and further compound their hardships.

Minority members like Sam George, Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, and the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa among others have vehemently opposed the budget.

Sam George, in a tweet on Saturday, 20 November 2021, said; “The more I process the e-Levy, the angrier I get. It is a complete ripoff. It is a taxation Ponzi scheme designed to tax d same value of money multiple times” and further stressed “it is plain government thievery & I cannot vote to approve a budget that has that levy included. No!”

On the part of Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa, “the E-levy, the MoMo tax, this budget is being called all sorts of names, the killer budget, (with) so many killer taxes. So they (the government) say that no tolls will be paid from immediate effect so that they can save face."

“So that the bitter pill which they are forcing down our throats, Ghanaians will accept it. We are not kids, we know what is going on. We will not allow Ghana to become a banana republic because of a few shenanigan lawbreakers,” he added.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, also reacting to the budget, stated, "it's only the Ken Ofori-Atta who ironically eases burdens to quote his words that there is no emotion about the suffering of Ghanaians, yet he is imposing further suffering, imposing a 1.75% MOMO electronic banking tax. So, it's only Ken Ofori-Atta who eases suffering with the imposition of new taxes targeted at GHC 15 billion within this period".

"The system is hot; to wit the system may not be able to bear the hardship. Literally, the system is hot," he emphasized.

But Kwamena Duncan has deflated the Minority's opposition asserting the e-levy is a good alternative to enhancing the nation's infrastructure development.

According to him, only a small fraction of the population are captured by the tax net which makes it difficult to improve the economy, therefore the e-levy will help to widen the net for every person to be part of Ghana's development.

"Close to 31 million, those who have the tax duty on their shoulder is just 3 million. Can this be fair in building a country? Can this be fair in building a country? Can this be an adequate source to cater for the needs of the people of this country?" he questioned.

He called for a collective support to make the e-levy effective.

"It all requires our collective contribution. You cannot lead your people to demonstrate that you want your roads done and then, when the government says let us all pull together, the little drops will make a mighty ocean, let us pull together to enable government to find the resources to do the roads, then you turn around that [look] we will not support this," he said during a panel discussion on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'.

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