Implementing E-levy amounts to double taxation – Duffuor to government

A former Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor has described as problematic, government’s decision to introduce an electronic transaction levy (E-levy) as an innovative way to replace the scraped road toll.

He further added that it will lead to double taxation, since the underlying income would have normally been taxed already.

“It should be noted that taxes/levies are imposed on income, gifts, consumption and held properties or assets. Electronic transfers and payments are none of these.

“This makes the proposed E-levy problematic because it could be fraught with serious implementation challenges. This tax could undermine the Ghanaian Digital Economy,” he said.

However, a section of Ghanaians including the Minority in Parliament and some economists have kicked against this proposal.

The opposers argue that the move will intensify the hardships of the average Ghanaian.

But the government insists that the new form of taxation will stimulate the growth of the economy and create more jobs.

According to him, the government must invest in Technical and Vocational Education (TVET).

He stated that a country cannot tackle joblessness without prioritizing education, thus, Ghana must place vocational and technical training at the center of its educational system.

Citing countries like USA, China, and Germany, Dr. Duffour said these nations have developed strong manpower through TVET that is continuously growing their economies.