E-Levy: GRA Begins Refunding Wrongful Deductions On The First Day Of Implementation

• The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has begun refunding deductions made wrongly during the implementation of the E-Levy
• The start of the refunds was announced by multiple text messages sent to affected people and shared on media platforms
• The wrongful deductions had earlier been blamed on technical hitches that greeted the E-Levy implementation on May 1, 2022

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has started to refund unlawful deductions on the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) during the first day of the implementation of the tax.

YEN.com.gh has sighted some text messages from the GRA to some people who were affected.

The GRA blamed the illegal deductions during the first few days of the E-Levy implementation on technical hitches. GRA’s Project Management Unit Head, Isaac Kobina Amoako, promised that the issue would be thoroughly investigated and the illegal deductions refunded.

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Many Ghanaians took to social media to complain that although their mobile money transactions were below the GH¢100 threshold, the 1.5% deduction was made.

But on Friday, May 6, 2022, YEN.com.gh saw screenshots of text messages reportedly from GRA to the affected customers. The report by Asaase Radio indicates one of the text messages was received on Thursday.

World Bank Approves $200m To Improve Ghana's Digital Infrastructure

In other news, YEN.com.gh reported that the World Bank has approved a grant of $200 million to improve critical digital infrastructure under the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project.

The project's objective is to expand broadband access, enhance the efficiency and experience of selected digital public services, and strengthen the digital innovation ecosystem.

GRA’s Project Management Unit Head, Isaac Kobina Amoako, has promised that the issue will be thoroughly investigated and the illegal deductions refunded.

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E-Levy: Ghana Revenue Authority Backs Down On Full Implementation From May 1

Also, YEN.com.gh previously covered GRA's decision to back down on plans to fully implement the E-Levy tax from May 1, 2022, due to setbacks.

In a release dated April 28, 2022, to all charging entities, the GRA announced that the operation of the controversial tax will be done on a "modified phased-approach" from the start of May.

The GRA explained that the decision to modify the approach to charging the 1.5% tax on electronic transactions follows an assessment of the general readiness of the charging entities to integrate with the E-Levy management system.

Source: YEN.com.gh