E-Levy Is Double Taxation, We Will Not Accept It – Hanna Bissiw

The National Women’s Organizer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hanna Bissiw, has stated clearly that the NDC will not accept e-levy because it amounts to double taxation.

In her view, low income earners such as Kayayei [head porters] who do not earn much are taxed 1% by telecommunication companies (telcos) when doing mobile money transactions. She argued that the 1.5% levy on electronic transactions, being proposed by government, will be an additional tax to be borne by low income earners summing up to 2.5%.

The former Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture disclosed on Friday, February 25, on Angel FM’s Anopa Bofo Morning Show that the 1% charge by telcos together with government’s 1.5% e-levy is tantamount to double taxation and will be insensitive to low income earners.

She added that, the E-levy should not be accepted because, if one wants to pay for electricity bails using mobile money, he or she will have to pay an additional 1.5% e-levy whilst ‘borla’ tax, COVID tax and many other taxes are accrued on the same money.

Madam Bissiw, who was also the former Member of Parliament for Tani South, supported her claim that, cocoa farmers are not to be taxed per law. However, if a customer decides to pay the farmer through mobile money, the farmer will in turn pay for e-levy contrary to what the law says.

She further questioned government’s commitment to provide the country with drones as a measure to improve health care delivery especially in hard-to-reach areas.

She criticized the initiative saying that what the country needs instead is good roads.