Afrobarometer Report: Three Out Of Four Ghanaians Don’t Believe E-Levy Will Fund Development Programmes

• A new survey has corroborated reports that Ghanaians are opposed to the E-Levy because they feel it is a bad tax
• Findings of a new study by Afrobarometer show that three out of every four Ghanaians say they don't believe that the tax will be used to fund development
• Afrobarometer is a pan-African and non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences

A new Afrobarometer survey shows three out of four Ghanaians disapprove of the recently passed electronic transaction levy (E-Levy).

Also, 76% of Ghanaians surveyed think the new tax regime is bad because it will increase the tax burden on the poor and ordinary citizens. This includes 63% who “strongly agree” with this view.

Aspects of the Round 9 (2021/2022) findings of the Afrobarometer survey on Ghana were released on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD).

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The survey also found that three-quarters of Ghanaians are also “not very confident” (24%) or “not at all confident” (51%) that the government will fulfill its pledge to use the revenues generated by the E-Levy to fund development programmes.

“Faced with the e-levy, Ghanaians are about evenly split as to whether they will continue to use electronic financial transactions (47%) or avoid using them,” the survey found.

Many Ghanaians also agree that there are several important goals that a tax revenue system must achieve, including ensuring that people understand the taxes they owe (82%), reducing the tax burden (81%), using tax revenues more effectively (83%), and ensuring that citizens and businesses pay taxes (79%).

Implementation of the controversial tax started on May 1, 2022, to facilitate the government’s agenda to raise more revenue. But a large majority of Ghanaians have expressed open opposition to the tax policy.

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Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.

Eight survey rounds in up to 39 countries have been completed since 1999.

The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,400 adult Ghanaians in April 2022.

A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Previous surveys were conducted in Ghana in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019.

Court denies Special Prosecutor’s request to freeze late Sir John's assets

YEN.com.gh reported in a separate story that an Accra High Court has thrown out a request by Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng for an order to confirm his directive to freeze the assets of the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, aka Sir John.

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Mr Agyebeng directed the freezing of the assets to facilitate a probe into allegations that Sir John acquired protected lands in the Achimota Forest enclave and the Sakumono Ramsar site.

The Special Prosecutor, therefore, applied to the High Court for a confirmation of the freezing order.

Source: YEN.com.gh