Government Desperately Seeking To Reduce Our Numbers To Get E-Levy Passed – Minority

The minority in parliament has accused the Nana Addo administration of attempting to sway the balance of power in parliament through the judiciary.

Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu told the media that the Attorney General (AG) and the Police Administration are working together to unjustly prosecute the Assin North lawmaker to serve the government’s contaminated purposes.

He added that the criminal charges brought against Assin North MP James Quayson are a desperate attempt by the government to limit the number of NDC members in parliament in order to pass the contentious E-Levy.

“It’s clear that the desperate Akufo-Addo government, the Attorney General’s office, and the Police Administration are acting in bad faith to gain an unfair advantage in parliament for the Nana Akufo-Addo, Bawumia government in its unbridled quest to pass the unpopular, insensitive e-levy, which remains a major disincentive to the development of our digital economy, and an apparent disregard for their own quest for a cash-lite economy,”

Perjury, other criminal offences

The National Democratic Congress( NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, has been charged with criminal offences in relation to his alleged dual nationality when he contested the 2020 parliamentary elections.

The Attorney-General (A-G) has dragged Mr Quayson to the Accra High Court on five counts of forgery of passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury and false declaration for office.

It is the case of the A-G that Mr Quayson allegedly made a false statement to the Passport Office that he did not hold a passport to another country when he applied for a Ghanaian Passport.

In addition, the A-G has accused Mr Quayson of making a false declaration to the Electoral Commission (EC) to the effect that he (Quayson) did not owe any allegiance to a foreign country when he filed to contest as candidate for the Assin North seat.

E-levy deadlock

The controversial e-levy has not been able to go through in parliament as the minority fiercely fights the bill in its current form insisting it will exacerbate the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian.

The Minority in Parliament on Friday(28 January) rejected a reduction of the Electronic Transaction Levy to 1.5% from 1.75% after further consultation.

The tax proposal seeks to deduct 1.75% tax on some electronic financial transactions by citizens.

Source: GhanaFeed.com