The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah has mentioned that, poor people are not going to be charged should the e-levy be passed into law.
According to the legislator, poor people are those who earn not more than 70 cedis per year.
For this matter, these people will not be affected by the electronic transactions levy (e-levy) when it is passed by parliament and implemented.
Mr. Okyere Darko made this statement at the Government’s Town Hall Meeting in the Western Region on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
“Another issue that has come up is that the e-levy would bring hardship on the poor person. What I know is that the poor will not be made to pay for e-levy. There’s no poor person who will be made to pay
This is the analysis I make, In Ghana, if someone is said to be poor, the person earns only GHC 70 throughout the year. For the e-levy, if you pay GHC 100 for the transfer you won’t pay for the money sent. Let’s say you are a teacher whose take home is 2,400 or an army officer who takes GHC 1,800 or a Policeman who takes home 1,600. If you take GHC 100 every day and transfer it, you won’t pay some of this levy. GHC 100 for 30 days will be GHC 3,000,” he explained.
He wonders why people will oppose a good policy like e-levy when the policy will not affect the poor Ghanaians.
He therefore called on everyone to embrace the levy to help build the country.
“A levy which the poor Ghanaian will not be made to pay some. No one can come and tell me it’s not a good thing. We all know that to whom much is given, much is expected and for that reason those of us who have been blessed by God such that we earn more than Gh¢ 3,000. The country has given us more and we are the middle income and in every country, people who have made it help the country to develop. We cannot shed our responsibility as middle-income people and turn around and blame the same government. I believe that if we come together and embrace it that will make it better,” he stressed.
