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E-Levy: You Have to Pay Taxes, There’s No Other Way to Meet Our Needs – Otumfuo to Ghanaians
The Ashanti Monarch, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, has urged Ghanaians to be committed to paying tax to see the development of the country.
Speaking at the launch of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Commemorative Gold Coin on Sunday, December 12, 2021, he said there’s no country in the world where citizens don’t pay taxes, adding that good citizens pay taxes.
“We have been fortunate in our political journey to have moved on from a period of one political party dominating everything. Today, at least the two main political parties have all been in government. If we are honest, we will agree that there is no perfect government and there will never be as long as we have different points of view.”
“And if we are honest, we will also agree that there are no people in this world that love paying taxes, and yet there is no other way conceived by the human mind by which government can raise the resources to meet our needs other than by raising taxes. I do not know of any form of taxes that is less painful than others. So at last, government, by all means, would have to raise taxes to meet our needs and if we are good citizens, we will pay our taxes.”
His comments come on the back of the raging controversy and widespread disapproval of the 1.75% levy on electronic financial transactions announced by the government in the 2022 budget statement.
Many critics of the e-levy policy have argued that it will erode gains made in the financial inclusion drive, and will also almost amount to double taxation and end up being counter-productive as the government’s revenue target would not be met.
