The Former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue, has suggested that government is being innovative with the E-levy as a way of generating revenue for Ghana.

According to him, the trends of Ghana’s economic indicators suggest that the digital space offers government a platform to increase its local revenue mobilization.

“You [government] have to be innovative. You follow the trends of the economy and that’s what is happening. We’re dealing with an irresponsible opposition but it doesn’t mean government has failed. I think government is being innovative.”
Charles Bissue

Charle Bissue averred that it is not an admission of failure that without the E-Levy the economy will collapse but rather an innovative way of raising money.

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“Hitherto, we used to walk to the bank and transact business, because of globalization everything has shifted to electronic and you sit in the comfort of your bedroom and send money and all that and you don’t want to pay tax. It doesn’t make sense.”
Charles Bissue

The former Inter-Ministerial Committee Secretary intimated that government can go to the IMF for aid but at the end of the day it will have to pay. He stated that the nation needs an economic revolution and he is of the view that the E-Levy is an innovative way of doing so.

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Intervention

Also commenting on the E-levy, a private legal practitioner, Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo suggested that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II must intervene to help resolve the impasse in Parliament in passing the E-Levy bill.

According to Mr. Samoa- Addo, the E-Levy risk not being passed if the Asantehene does not intervene. The private legal practitioner stated that there is no point of negotiation between the NDC and NPP when it comes to the passage of the E-levy, and as such, if the NPP government desperately wants the E-levy bill to be passed, it then has to elevate the negotiation and the arbitrator has to be one that is respected by both sides.

“So it is not beyond doubt, if I look at the landscape there is no other person or individual who can break the deadlock between Nana Addo and Mahama other than Otumfuo.”
Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo

Samoa Addo noted he is optimistic that under the current dispensation, the only person who can summon President Akufo-Addo and the former President Mahama to amicably resolve the E-Levy impasse is the Asantehene.

“Whatever negotiation will be done will involve someone like himself because I don’t see any other person who can summon President Mahama and President Akufo-Addo and both of them will stop everything they are doing and attend that particular meeting except Otumfuo. Without that level of mediation if that bill enters Parliament it won’t pass.”
Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo

The Minority in Parliament on Friday rejected a reduction of the Electronic Transaction Levy to 1.5 from 1.75 per cent after further consultation. The passage of the bill has been postponed to February.