E-Levy, Betting and Emissions taxes should be scrapped now - Mahama Ayariga to Bawumia

Mahama Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, has urged Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to abolish the controversial E-Levy, Bet Tax, and Emissions Tax immediately, rather than waiting to be elected as president of Ghana.

Mahama Ayariga emphasized the need for action, expressing scepticism about Bawumia's credibility and dismissing the vice president's recent lecture on the economy.

In an interview with GhanaWeb's Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese, in parliament, he said, “In all honesty, I think Bawumia suffers serious credibility challenges. I didn't waste to listen to his lecture, we have heard so many lectures about what the NPP government will do," Ayariga remarked.

He also criticized the economic management results under the NPP government and questioned the sincerity of Bawumia's promises.

“All the taxes he said he will scrap and so on, I demand that it should be scrapped today. Ghanaians must rise and demand even if the chairman of the economic team did not believe in those taxes and was not honest to come out boldly and tell Ghanaians he did not believe in those taxes, and allowed the minority NDC to oppose those taxes and his side mobilized their numbers and voted in favour of the taxes and only for him today to come and tell us he doesn’t believe in those taxes and should be scrapped, we demand it should be scrapped now," Ayariga asserted.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, has announced that he will abolish the controversial E-Ley, Bet Tax, and Emissions Tax if elected as president of Ghana.

This announcement comes after the introduction of the E-Levy in 2022, a tax that Vice President Bawumia had previously expressed opposition to.

He had since maintained silent over the controversial levy.

During his first major address to the nation as the NPP flagbearer, Dr. Bawumia firmly stated his opposition to taxes on electronic financial transactions and emphasized that he would abolish the E-Levy to promote a cashless economy.

He added that he believes that encouraging the population to use electronic payment channels is crucial for achieving a digital and cashless Ghana.

Furthermore, Dr. Bawumia revealed plans to introduce a new tax regime, which includes abolishing the Emission Tax, tax on betting, and the proposed 15% VAT on electricity tariffs, if it remains in effect by January 2025.

He expressed his aim to create a friendly and flat tax regime that would benefit individuals and businesses, especially small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) that constitute the majority of businesses in Ghana.

NAY/AE