Government’s Spokesperson on Governance and Security, Palgrave Boakye Danquah, has intimated that government and the President didn’t rush in passing the Electronic transaction Bill (E-levy).
According to Mr. Boakye Danquah, Parliament passed the bill using the right process and not in a rushed manner. He stated that two-thirds of Parliamentarians who form the quorum were present and that led to the passing of the bill. This, he stated, gave the President the constitutional mandate to assent to the bill.
“I don’t think that we are in hurry in this government. We had the quorum. If we didn’t have the quorum, there was no way the Speaker of Parliament would have allowed the bill to be passed.”
Palgrave Boakye Danquah
Palgrave Boakye-Danquah explained that the Minority’s argument that the Majority was not up to the number, is the reason they have gone to court to seek answers. He thus suggested that the court will make the final decision. “The substance of the issue is that the President has fulfilled his constitutional mandate.”
Touching on the Minority’s claim that Ghanaians are not in support of the E-levy, Mr. Boakye Danquah however, opposed the view suggesting government held townhall meetings to clearly expatiate what the E-levy seeks to achieve and they showed acceptance. Mr. Boakye Danquah was of the firm believe that the good people of Ghana have accepted the E-levy as one of the ways government would raise more revenue and also expand the tax bracket.
“We’ve had about five townhall meetings out of the 16 regions. These are representation of persons that really sort to have a greater understanding. We’ve had various persons from various unions and association who came to seek answers and the ministers available sort to bring clarity to the relevance of the electronic levy.”
Palgrave Boakye Danquah
President engaged in recklessness
Also commenting on the President assenting to the E-levy bill, a member of the legal team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abraham Amaliba, accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of engaging in “recklessness” following the signing of the E-levy bill into law. Mr. Amaliba insinuated that President Akufo-Addo was fully aware of the suit filed against the approval of the E-levy by the Minority yet, he went ahead to sign the bill into a law.
“The action of the President has put undue pressure on the justices of the Supreme Court. His act is not illegal but his action, is it desirable? He is going to put undue pressure on the judges.”
Abraham Amaliba
Contributing to the discussion, Private legal Practitioner, Mr. Kwame Jantuah, noted that the government has not built the confidence of Ghanaians for them to believe that the revenue expected to be generated from the e-levy will be used properly. According to him, government will need to work hard to build that trust and confidence in the people.
Mr. Jantuah asserted that the current administration has “won a major trophy” following the approval of the E-levy by Parliament and the President of Ghana assenting it.
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