Government Determined To Pass E-Levy Tax Policy Despite Backlash

• Despite the public backlash and the difficulty in getting the right numbers of MPs in Parliament, the government is determined to pass the E-Levy
• Government has said in a recent post that the E-Levy is important to supporting youth employment and entrepreneurship
• Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has also said recently that he was hopeful that NPP MPs will be present in the House in their numbers when the bill is presented

The government remains resolute to pass the E-Levy bill despite the public opposition, stating in a recent post that it will support youth employment and entrepreneurship.

In a post on Twitter, the presidency stated that some of the proceeds from the 1.5% tax policy to be charged on some mobile money and electronic transactions will be used to support entrepreneurship and youth employment programmes.

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Ghana incurs $750 fine at ECOWAS Court for 'wasting court's time' in suit against Agyapa deal

On the evening of Tuesday, March 22, 2022, Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, gave a strong indication that the E-Levy will soon land in Parliament for possible approval when he said he was hopeful that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislators would be in Parliament in their numbers when the bill is presented.

He said it was public knowledge that one of the NPP legislators [Adwoa Safo] has been absent from Parliament but said he was looking forward to seeing her in the House when the cause for her absence is resolved.

Meanwhile, the opposition MPs also remain firm in their opposition against the bill.

The Minority and a host of civil society organisations are against the tax proposal because they say it worsens the economy's hardship and discourages cash-lite transactions.

The government insists that it can rake in almost GHS7 billion a year from the tax policy to shore up dwindling revenues.

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Agyapa Deal: ECOWAS Court Slaps $750 Fine On Ghana For Late Filing Of Defence Against Suit

ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has slapped a $750 fine on Ghana for failing to file its response to the suit against the controversial Agyapa deal.

Three anti-graft agencies, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Transparency International (GI), and Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), dragged the Government of Ghana to regional court over the Agyapa deal fiasco.

In July 2021, the three institutions filed the legal process to challenge the decision of the government to use Ghana's gold reserves as collateral for a loan without Parliament's approval.

Trades Union Congress Demands Suspension Of All Taxes On Fuel After 54% Increase In Price Since January

The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government to suspend all taxes on petroleum products, citing the 54% increase on the commodity since January 2022 as debilitating.

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In a statement, the association of over 6,000 workers from 14 different unions said the rampant increase in fuel price was draining Ghanaians' income.

"We propose that government must immediately suspend all taxes and levies on petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene. This should bring down the prices of these fuels by an average of about 15%," the TUC said in the statement.

Source: YEN.com.gh