Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, has dismissed claims by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has reintroduced the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), describing the allegations as false and misleading.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mr. Adongo challenged assertions by the Minority that the current administration had imposed new taxes, including what they described as a return of the controversial E-Levy.
The lawmaker stated that he was in possession of a letter dated January 31, 2024, from the Bank of Ghana to MTN Ghana, which, according to him, approved certain charges on mobile money transactions during the tenure of the previous NPP administration.
Mr. Adongo said the letter granted “no objection” for the introduction of a one percent fee on cash-out transactions below GH¢2,000 and a 0.75 percent fee, capped at GH¢55, on transfers from mobile money wallets to bank accounts.
He argued that the approvals were issued in 2024, a period when the NDC was not in government, and therefore could not be attributed to the current administration.
“The NDC was not in power in 2024,” he told Parliament, adding that the charges cited by the Minority were approved under the previous government and not introduced by the current administration.
The Bolgatanga Central MP further maintained that taxes and levies can only be imposed through parliamentary approval and not by letters issued by regulatory institutions. He stressed that the current government had not presented any bill to Parliament seeking the reintroduction of the E-Levy.
According to him, the NDC administration had abolished the E-Levy and had not sought to restore it in any form.
Mr. Adongo accused the Minority of deliberately misrepresenting the facts and misleading the public by suggesting that a new E-Levy had been introduced. He called on the NPP Minority to retract the claims and apologize to Ghanaians.
“The people of Ghana are watching, and they deserve the truth,” he said, insisting that the allegations lacked factual basis.
The controversy follows recent claims by the NPP Minority that the government had introduced new taxes and transaction charges despite campaign promises to ease the tax burden on citizens.
The government has consistently denied those allegations, maintaining that no new E-Levy has been imposed since assuming office.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
