Ursula Owusu on MoMo tax: Anyone who can send GH¢100 is not poor

• The minister for communications and digitalisation has said that anyone who can transfer over GH¢100 through mobile money is not poor.
• Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said that person must definitely pay tax
• Her comments come after the government announced the introduction of a 1.7% e-levy

The minister for communications and digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has stated that any Ghanaian who can transfer over GH¢100 through mobile money is not poor.

According to her, if you can send more than GH¢100 then you definitely must be taxed.

Her comments come after the minister of finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced the introduction of a 1.7% phone transactions levy payable by mobile money users per transaction above GH¢100.

Speaking in an interview on GHOne TV on Thursday, November 18, 2021, the communications minister explained why it is time to tax Ghanaians.

Read also

E-levy: Association of Mobile money agents to go on strike over proposed 1.75 percent levy

She stated that any person sending money that is above GH¢100 to another cannot be considered to be poor because that amount is big enough, therefore, that person must be taxed.

"The state is saying that if you are sending up to a GH¢100 a day, cumulatively you can send up to GH¢3000 a month, that is all going to be tax-free. Now if you have more than a GH¢100 to send a day, then you're not poor. So if you really are poor and you are in a position to send a GH¢100 a day, then we need to re-classify our definition of who really the beneficiaries of these are," she said

Mobile Money transactions to be taxed as gov't introduces 'e-levy'

In an earlier report filed by YEN.com.gh, the minister of finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced that a new levy will be charged by the government in 2022 on all electronic transactions.

Read also

Office cleaners in parliament receive GH¢400 monthly salary - MP reveals

This according to him will widen the tax net and rope in the informal sector.

Ofori Atta said the new electronic levy which will cover mobile money transactions and other electronic bank transfers will take effect from February 1, 2022.

Source: YEN.com.gh