North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has noted that members of the pressure group, #Fixthecountry movement were blocked from participating in the Townhall meeting on the E-levy held in Koforidua on Thursday January 27.
Mr Ablakwa condemned the development, saying it is bad enough.
In a tweet, he said “Physically preventing #FixTheCountry members from attending government’s town hall is bad enough but why is government not putting the E-Levy to a secret vote at its town halls as we did at the North Tongu non-partisan town hall?”
During the meeting, Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said if Ghana does not wean itself from seeking aid from other courtiers, foreigners will continue to dictate the pace of the country’s development.
Making a case for the introduction of the E-levy in the 2022 budget statement, she said in order to be truly independent, Ghana would need to increase domestic revenue mobilisation to undertake the needed development.
Speaking at the Government Townhall meeting on the E-levy proposal in Koforidua on Thursday January 27, the Ablekuma West Member of Parliament said ” so long us we depend on loans they will dictate the pace of our developments.”
“We need to find the way to increase domestic revenue mobilisation,” she added.
“We are talking about a Ghana beyond aid, we need to be able to finance our own development and stop the dependence on either loans or grants or aid from other countries if we are to be truly independent.”
The Townhall Meeting forms part of the stakeholder engagement the government is undertaking on the E-levy proposal.
The Majority Leader in Parliament Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu had Parliament on Tuesday January 25 that further stakeholder consultations were ongoing on the proposal hence the inability of the Business Committee to programme it during the first week of the first setting of the second session.
The Business Committee, he said, hoped to programme the proposal for consideration in the second week after the engagement.
The Suame Lawmaker explained the absence of the E-levy proposal on the Order Paper saying “Mr Speaker, as Honourable members will recall the House was expected to conclude consideration and passing of the electronic transfer levy bill 2021 by the end of the third meeting for the first session.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances however, the House was unable to consider and pass the bill at the end of of the meeting. It was therefore the contemplation of the Business Committee that the Bill will be scheduled for consideration by the House during the First week of the first meeting of the second session.
“However upon consultation with the sponsoring Minister the committee is not unable to programme same for this week after resumption.
“The Honorable Minister of Finance has been undertaking further engagement with stakeholders and sections of the general public with respect of some concerns that have been raised on the bill
“The committee, in all probability, will programme the bill for consideration in the second week of this meeting and honorable members are therefore encouraged to participate fully in the consideration and the process of the passage of the bill.”
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta said justified the introduction of the E-levy.
Making a case for the introduction of the policy proposal, he said President Akufo-Addo has earned international respect due to the number of all-inclusive projects he has been able to initiate to develop the countries
“We went through 2017 to 2019 with incredible stellar results as to what we, as a country have been able to achieved, moving from 3.4 per cent of growth to some where over 7 per cent, reducing our budget deficit, and then to 6.5%, moved to about 5 per cent making sure that our currency does not depreciate as it used to be and quite stable.
“Also, having the necessary foreign exchange cover to make sure that we are able to support our currency and import. Again we did the impossible, spent over 14 billion cedis on education, 14 billion on health care , 14.9bn on enhancing our internal security and it comes as what we were able to do with the monies NDC assured we will never be able to get.
“So, the benefits have been for all of us, all inclusive growth in which about 1.26 million children have benefited from free SHS , 3.45million covered by school feeding programme , NADCO 100,000 young persons, the largest in our history and over 334 households are given lifeline under the LEAP programme. so, for us, the sovereignty of our people is clear everybody as a citizen having a part in this enterprise of this idea of a Ghana that is confident, prosperous.
“Our president has also earned incredible international repute and our own Ghanaian walk outside , even here, NDC or NPP , their heads are high because they know that Akufo-Addo has done it.
“We have to continue these initiatives but the challenge is, where do we get the resources to be able to do this. Traditionally, when you are caught in such a thing you increase petrol and we know the effect is have on all of us.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana