The Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has told Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to remove the taxes that he has promised to abolish right now.
He says Ghanaians cannot wait until 2025 for those “Draconian” taxes including Emission levy, e-levy to be scrapped.
Dr Forson said this while announcing that his side of the House will submit a private member’s bill to Parliament to compel President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia to remove all the taxes considered a nuisance.
Dr Forson says he expects the Majority side of the House who endorsed the announcement of Dr Bawumia to remove the e-levy, to support this private member’s bill.
“If Dr Bawumia wants the tax removed he should do it right now. We will get someone to bring a private members bill to get these taxes removed and we will see if the NPP will support it, e-levy, emission levy and some of the VATs
“The Vice President has signaled to us that they don’t want these taxes and we saw their MPs in favour of the vice president’s position so we want to test whether it is genuine and so we will bring the bill before parliament and we will get them to vote for or vote against and see how it works,” he told Joy News on Tuesday Febraury 13. However, Deputy Minister of Trade and Inistdy Stepna Amoah also said that the Minority Leader has not convinced him to support such a bill.
Dr Bawumia had stated categorically that he would abolish the tax on electronic financial transactions, e-levy, if elected President of Ghana. The controversial tax was introduced in 2022, and prior to the introduction, Vice President Bawumia had declared his opposition to levies on electronic financial transactions in an interview.
Delivering his first major address to the nation after his election as NPP flagbearer, during which he gave broad policy outlines of a Bawumia Presidency, Dr. Bawumia minced no words in declaring his opposition to taxes on electronic financial transactions, declaring that he would abolish e-levy as President.
Dr Bawumia added that his bid for a Digital and Cashless Ghana would be significantly boosted if e-levy is abolished.
“To move towards a cashless economy, however, we have to encourage the population to use electronic channels payment. To accomplish this, there will be no taxes on digital payments under my administration. The e-levy will therefore, be abolished,” he declared at the UPSA auditorium on February 7.
Dr. Bawumia also announced that as part of a new tax regime by his government, he will also abolish the emission tax, tax on betting as well as the proposed 15% VAT on electricity tariffs, if it is in existence by January 2025.
He also announced that his government would introduce what he described as a friendly, flat tax regime for Ghana, which will boost individuals and businesses, particularly small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
“My administration will introduce a very simple, citizen and business-friendly flat tax regime. A flat tax of a percentage of income for individuals and SMEs, which constitute 98% of all businesses in Ghana, with appropriate exemption thresholds set to protect the poor,” Dr. Bawumia indicated.