The Minority in Parliament has dissociated itself from any negative impact of the Electronic Transaction Levy on the economy if the Majority approves it.

Member of Parliament for Techiman North, Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare, noted that the NDC MPs have resolved to present all 137 Members of Parliament to vote against the E-Levy Bill whenever it comes up in Parliament.

“We members of Parliament on the Minority side are for the interest of the country. We should bear in mind that a simple Majority is needed for the passage of the Bill. So if all the 138 members of the Majority are present on the day, the Bill can be approved. But even if that should happen, we the NDC MPs have washed our hands off the e-levy and its consequences”, she said.

“It is a tax that will not do any good for the country. If gold, cocoa and other natural resources couldn’t save us, will this do so?” she asked.

Speaking at the NDC Town Hall meeting in Kumasi on Monday, the MP explained that aside the levy impeding the digitalization agenda, it will collapse businesses.

She said over a hundred thousand individuals in the mobile money business may lose their jobs after the introduction of the e-levy, since many will find alternatives of transferring money.

The Minority therefore proposed that government considers retrieving the 12 billion cedis lost to corruption in 2020 as stated in the Auditor-General’s report to make up for the lost revenue.

Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare further proposed a cut in government expenditure.

“Over 12 billion cedis, according to the Auditor-General has been lost to corruption and irregularities. We will tell the government to go after the money which is more than the projected revenue from the E-levy. Government will not get the projected amount since many will refuse to use the service when the Bill is passed,” she stressed.