I Support E-Levy In Principle – Kweku Baako

Photo Courtesy: Ghanaweb

Editor-in-chief of the Crusading Guide and political pundit Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has said he supports the e-levy proposed by the government in the 2022 budget.

Kweku Baako says it is important to support the government to realize its policies in the coming year.

Last week, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, presented the controversial “Agyenkwa Budget” which proposes to tax electronic financial transactions.

“After considerable deliberations, Government has decided to place a levy on all electronic transactions to widen the tax net and rope in the informal sector. This shall be known as the “Electronic Transaction Levy or E-Levy” he read in the budget.

Almost instantaneously Ghanaians home and abroad responded with outrage asking the government to withdraw it with immediate effect. Mr. Baako however says he sides with the government.

The proposal is for the new tax to as the Minister put it affect “Electronic transactions covering mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments and inward remittances will be charged at an applicable rate of 1.75%, which shall be borne by the sender except for inward remittances, which will be borne by the recipient”

Mr. Baako, an ardent supporter of the government in spite of claiming to be a die-hard Nkrumahist has been known in the past to defend some seemingly unpopular policies of the government. 

Speaking on PeaceFM’s Kokrokoo Morning show where he is a regular contributor, Mr. Baako said, he isn’t surprised the proposal os garnering heated debate because throughout history taxationhas never been a popular phenomenon. 

“We usually feel uncomfortable with it. We tend to make noise about it” but, after a while, the cacophony will be over and “everybody gets to accept it”, he said.

 

We usually feel uncomfortable with it. We tend to make noise about it” but, after a while, the cacophony will be over and “everybody gets to accept it

Mr. Baako however admitted that his personal knowledge of the levy is very limited. 

”In principle, though I don’t understand it, I’m prepared to go along because I’m convinced that there is a need for a certain [you know] tax that will give us space in order to be able to do things. So, I’m not totally opposed to it…” he said.

 

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