President John Mahama has fulfilled a key campaign promise by assenting to a set of bills that abolish the Electronic Transfer Levy or e-Levy, betting tax, and the emissions tax, the Presidency announced Wednesday.
The removal of the taxes was a central promise in the John Mahama National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto before the 2024 general election.
The rationale behind the removal of the levy, the government emphasized is aimed at easing the cost of living and encouraging business expansion to create more job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youth across the country.
After being declared winner of the 2024 presidential election, President-elect Mahama released a document titled; “Mahama’s first 120 days social contract with the people of Ghana” in which he promised to abolish what he described as draconian taxes within the first three months of his administration.
“Within my first 90 days in office, scrap the following draconian taxes to alleviate hardships and ease the high cost of doing business: E-levy, COVID levy, 10% levy on bet winnings, and Emissions levy,” said the document.
Parliament on Wednesday, March 26, passed a bill to abolish the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy.
The repeal of the E-Levy has been widely welcomed by Ghanaians, who strongly opposed the tax.
The levy, which was introduced in 2022 by the previous New Patriotic Party administration, imposed a 1.5% tax on electronic transactions, including mobile money transfers, bank transfers, and online payments.
Since its introduction, there have been protests and public outcry, with critics arguing that it disproportionately affected low-income earners and the unbanked population. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
Share Us
