Actress Yvonne Nelson says government should shelve the implementation of the Electronic Transactions Levey (e-levy).

According to her, the masses are not happy about the levy, thus do not want it introduced.

Speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, Thursday, she said, “the e-Levy, Ghanaians do not like the idea, so why don't we listen to Ghanaians. They are not happy about it, why don’t we listen to Ghanaians, it’s really that simple.”

Yvonne Nelson, therefore, called for the Bill to be scrapped as demanded by the populace.

Also on the show, actress Michelle Diamond Gbagonah, popularly known as Michy, called for the levy to be scrapped.

She explained that people are struggling economically, thus the levy will only intensify their suffering.

“...too many bills are being paid. Times are really hard with extra bills, so I don’t think the E-Levy is a good idea unless the money is going to be put into good use”, she said.

Nelson and Michy are not the only creatives that have shared their disapproval of the levy.

Rapper Sarkodie in a tweet said he does not believe Ghanaians are kicking against the proposed Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) because it is “bad”.

According to him, many are not in support of the levy because citizens do not get to enjoy the benefits that come with paying taxes unlike their counterparts in the west.

Shatta Wale had said the leaders in the country are being insensitive to the plight of Ghanaians with the introduction of the Bill.

Lydia Forson noted the introduction of the levy will push the country’s digilisation plan, backwards.

Kwesi Pee in an interview on Hitz had said "I think it’s a little bit too much. I also think it needs to be scrapped because it doesn’t make sense.”

E-Levy 

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, while presenting the 2022 budget on Wednesday, November 17, announced that the government intends to introduce an Electronic Transaction Levy (e-levy).

The levy, he revealed, is being introduced to “widen the tax net and rope in the informal sector”. This followed a previous announcement that the government intends to halt the collection of road tolls.

The proposed levy, which was expected to come into effect in January 2022, is a charge of 1.75% on the value of electronic transactions. It covers mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments, and inward remittances. There is an exemption for transactions up to GH¢100 per day.

Explaining the government’s decision, the Finance Minister revealed that the total digital transactions for 2020 were estimated to be over ¢500 billion (about $81 billion) compared to GH¢78 billion ($12.5 billion) in 2016. Thus, the need to widen the tax net to include the informal sector.

Although the government has argued that it is an innovative way to generate revenue, scores of citizens and stakeholders have expressed varied sentiments on its appropriateness with many standing firmly against it.

Even though others have argued in support of the levy, a section of the populace believe that the 1.75% e-levy is an insensitive tax policy that will deepen the already prevailing hardship in the country.