Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has said the Finance Minister will today withdraw the controversial E-Levy Bill, adding it may be reintroduced next week Friday.
Presenting the business statement for next week on the floor of Parliament today, Friday, January 4, 2022, the Deputy Majority Leader said the ongoing nationwide public engagement on the bill has informed the move.
“This House in consultation with leadership and other stakeholders continue to engage on some concerns relating to provisions of the Bill. Members are reliably informed about efforts by the Hon. Minister of Finance to undertake sensitisation tour in certain parts of the country to educate the citizenry on the need for the passing of the Bill for the benefit of the economy.
“The Hon. Minister for Finance has therefore given indication after his nationwide engagement with the citizenry on the bill, of the likelihood of the withdrawal of the Bill and reintroduction of same on Friday, February 11, 2022, barring any unforeseen circumstances. In the event that, he is unlikely to withdraw and reintroduce the Bill on Friday, February 11, 2022, he may do so Tuesday, February 15, 2022,” the Effutu MP told Parliament on Friday, February 4, 2022.
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The E-Levy Bill remains the most contentious matter in Parliament currently, fueled partly by the public uproar over the proposed tax measure.
Legislators on the Minority side and some on the Majority side (rumoured to be against the bill) have been fighting the passage of the tax regime since it was announced in the 2022 budget.
Renowned economists, lawyers and social commentators have also in varied ways shot down the proposal by the government to raise some GHS6.9 billion annually from the 1.7% tax rate to be charged on selected electronic and mobile money transactions.
The tax has been criticised as unfair and Draconian because it seeks to tax savings in electronic wallets.
One lawyer, Kofi Bentil, described it as a lazy approach to shore up revenue.
Other experts have urged the government to either cut its ballooning expenditure or head to the IMF.
Despite the backlash, the government has given assurance that the introduction of the Electronic Transactions Levy will provide an opportunity to generate more revenue to sustain its flagship programmes.
The tax regime is intended to help transform infrastructure across the country, including building roads, market amenities, health educational facilities, among others
Additionally, the E-Levy, according to the government, will help to deliver massive numbers of jobs through industrialisation and entrepreneurial programmes.