Private legal practitioner, Mr. Kwame Jantuah has said he believes John Dramani Mahama’s pronouncement of plans to repeal the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) in the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) government was done in a haste.
On Monday, May 2, 2022, the former President of Ghana in an address on the theme Ghana at a Crossroads reiterated that the NDC still opposes the controversial levy introduced by the government.
He said although the largest opposition party is not against taxation, the party will abolish the E-Levy when it wrestles power from the ruling NPP in the next general election.
“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,” Mahama shared.
Speaking on TV3 New Day show, Kwame Jantuah has said the declaration from the former President has come too soon.
He said even if the NDC wins the next general election, the power to repeal will not be in the hands of the President but with Parliament.
“I don’t know whether he knows what 2024 elections is going to turn out to be. It is not an executive decision to repeal the e-levy, it is parliament. If you don’t have majority in Parliament how do you repeal it?
“In terms of his comments that they will repeal it, it depends on Parliament. He spoke a little too soon,” Mr. Jantuah noted.
