Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, says it would be disgraceful for the Minority NDC MPs to make a U-turn on their entrenched position on the electronic transaction levy.

According to him, people would not accord the necessary respect due to the NDC if they decided to backtrack.

“I’m surprised that suddenly they want to make a U-turn. I mean, people will not respect them. If you are a politician, you want to eat your cake and have it? But, please, it doesn’t operate that way,” he told Samson Lardy Anyenini.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said the NDC position has been to have a 1% charge on the E-levy, but they are deceiving Ghanaians with talks that they are against it.

He noted that he is surprised at their sudden behaviour to “steam Haruna Iddrissu that they want to single him out and sacrifice him.”

This notwithstanding, he said the NDC has always agreed with the NPP on the E-levy.

“That was the position by the collective if they have changed their position I will be surprised. Let Ghanaians know that on the E-levy, the NDC agrees with the NPP that we need it.

"We share that political risk together. So they shouldn’t backtrack and suddenly create the impression that we (NPP) are in this alone,” he stressed.

Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, he said the NDC shared the opinion that the E-levy “is a necessary evil, we must have E-levy.”

He added that both parties had a consensus on E-levy but only differed on the percentages.

He indicated that the NPP disagrees with the charge percentage since the NDC wants a one per cent charge whereas the government wants 1.75%.

“The two main political actors in this country in charge of the governance of this country agreed to E-levy simplicity, and this was well echoed by their group and eventually by Haruna Iddrissu, their Minority Leader not only once but twice,” he stated.

Prior to this, Afenyo-Markin, in an interview on Joy News’ PM Express, stated that government will reduce the E-levy charge from 1.75% to 1.5 %.

According to him, the reduction in the rate results from government listening to the concerns of the Minority in Parliament concerning some concerns raised about the budget.