Koforidua Market Women Urge Mahama to Reinstate E-Levy After Parliament Passed Repeal Bill

• Some traders at the Koforidua market are appealing to President John Dramani Mahama to reinstate the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-levy)
• The traders argue that the E-levy's cancellation will deprive the government of revenue for infrastructure and social intervention programmes
• They claim that life will be more difficult for them without the E-levy, which they believe is necessary for the country's development

Some traders at the Koforidua market have appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to reinstate the Electronic Transaction Levy, popularly referred to as E-levy.

According to the women, the cancellation of the E-levy would rather compound the economic difficulties that citizens are going through, contrary to claims that it would ease their burden.

In an interview with GHone TV, the traders expressed concerns that the cancellation of the E-Levy would deprive the government of much-needed revenue for infrastructure and social intervention programs such as the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy.

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They argued that no country in the world could develop without citizens paying taxes to the government.

"Any rational human being who wants the development of their country knows that taxes are used to develop it, and so, if I conduct an E-transaction and the government decides to take a small percentage of it for development, I would have no qualms," one of the women said.

"When the E-levy was being charged, we were comfortable, but now that it has been removed, life is going to be more difficult for us. So, we beg President Mahama to reinstate it," another woman added.

The women made these remarks after parliament passed the Electronic Transaction Levy (Repeal) Bill, 2025, to abolish the controversial tax.

Having passed the bill, the Parliament of Ghana will now send it to the office of the president for assent by the head of state.

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Watch the video of the market women's reaction to the cancellation of the E-levy below:

When was the E-levy introduced?

The E-levy was introduced by the previous government led by the New Patriotic Party's Nana Akufo-Addo in 2022.

The e-levy was a 1% tax on all electronic transactions, with a daily free limit of GH¢100 and specific exemptions.

In 2024, it was announced that the government had raised GH¢810.5 million in revenue from the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-levy) during the first half of 2024.

This figure fell short of the expected revenue target of GH¢898.4 million but it was still the highest half-year revenue generated from the controversial levy introduced in 2022.

Mahama promised to scrap e-levy

The decision by the new administration to scrap the e-levy was taken long before the NDC-led administration came into power.

President John Mahama, in the build-up to the 2024 election, pledged to scrap the e-levy and some taxes within his first 100 days in office.

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He indicated that removing some taxes would reduce hardship and the cost of doing business in the country.

Wayoosi praises Mahama for scrapping E-Levy

Many well-known Ghanaians have applauded Mahama for keeping his promise to scrap the E-Levy, and notable among them is Kumawood actor Wayoosi.

In a video shared on social media, the diminutive actor said the move by John Mahama was evidence that he is a listening President who has the best interest of citizens at heart.

Opposition against scrapping e-levy

When the bill was initially introduced, the Koforidua market women were reportedly recruited by the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, to campaign for its acceptance.

This perhaps informs their opposition against the repeal of the tax by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The passage of the bill was contentious, as the then NDC minority in parliament fought hard against its implementation without success.

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Finance Minister Scraps Betting Tax

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, announced the cancellation of the betting tax.

The Finance Minister announced while as part of his 2025 budget statement reading in parliament.

Following this, many bettors, otherwise described as "investors", took to social media to celebrate and express gratitude to President John Mahama for honouring his campaign promise.

Source: YEN.com.gh