The opposition Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has expressed its scorn for the proposed Electronic Transactions Levy, which was announced in the Minister of Finance’s 2022 budget announcement on Wednesday, November 17.
“We are opposed to this new tax policy because we feel that the solution to the country’s current economic issues is not the imposition of more taxes to raise income,” the party stated in a statement released by Kofi Asamoah Siaw, its 2020 Vice Presidential Candidate.
It said the government has failed to account to the people in whose sovereignty it is in power.
PPP’s statement noted that what this country needs is a prudent management of national revenue by the Akufo-Addo-led government.
“We are opposed to this budget proposal because the government has failed to demonstrate clear accountability in the management of public funds
What we have is empty sloganeering such as, “Protecting the Public Purse”, whilst in actual fact, the purse is leaking profusely, as the Auditor-General keeps reporting, or the deliberate set-up of a looting machine to dissipate public funds to the benefit of party functionaries and appointees of the regime.”
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It said the role of the legislative arm of government is to represent the interests and aspirations of the people and it is evidently clear that Ghanaians are “united” against the Levy, widely known as e-levy.
“To this end, we call on all our Members of Parliament, and especially the NDC Minority, to remain resolute in the defence of the people of Ghana by rejecting this insensitive E-levy proposal,” the statement urged.
It further noted that if accepted in any shade or form, the e-levy will disrupt economic activities and growth “and will worsen the already dire and precarious economic and harsh living conditions of the citizenry”.
“Parliament should note that they are not alone in their patriotic opposition to the 2022 budget.
“The PPP stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our MPs in Parliament in your bid to exercising your parliamentary oversight to reject the 2022 budget and more especially the E-Levy.”
