Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says former President John Dramani Mahama cannot be trusted about his promise to repeal the Electronic Transfer Levy also known as E-levy.
He explained that because Mr. Mahama has a bad track record of reversing policies initiated by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The Minister remarks follows promise by the 2020 National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate to repeal the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) when the NDC wins power in the 2024 elections.
Former President Mahama has said if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) wins the 2024 general elections, the party will abolish the E-Levy.
According to Mahama, although the NDC is not against new taxes, the party will not condone “burdensome taxes like the E-Levy.”
Delivering an address under the theme, “Ghana at a Crossroad” on Monday (2 May), Mahama said, “We in the NDC do not oppose taxation as a principle. We will not be pretentious and couch fanciful slogans to condemn the principle of taxation like the NPP did in the past. We are, however, implacably opposed to distortionary and burdensome taxes like the E-Levy that only force Ghanaians to endure more suffering.
“A new National Democratic Congress government, God willing and with the votes of the sovereign people of Ghana in 2025 will repeal the E-Levy Act.
However, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah speaking on Accra based Asaase Radio on Tuesday May 3, 2022 said “I just want to remind Ghanaians that the last time the NDC and Mahama made a similar statement was when the communication service tax was introduced.
“He argued against it that the cost of internet and talk time will go up by 8% in Parliament and later joined the late Prof Atta Mills as his running mate to make a promise that they were going to abolish the communication service tax.
“When they won power, they turned around and increased the rate. So I think there is a clear track record and nobody should be dissuaded by some of these comments, the Ghanaian economy is in safe hands, the 2017 to 2019 window shows us clearly that the NPP and the Akufo-Addo administration had the competencies to bring the Ghanaian economy back on track
