Economist Stephen Adei has warned that development in Ghana risks grinding to a halt if taxes are not doubled in two years’ time.
Speaking on Accra FM show about a raft of economic issues including the recently-passed e-levy, Prof Adei said: “We must accept e-levy. It’s a low-hanging fruit. We must accept the e-levy”.
He warned: “If we don’t, we’ll still pay for it in another way”, adding: “We must tax electronic transactions”.
The 1.5 per cent levy is meant to affect some electronic transactions including mobile money transfers although with some pro-poor exemptions.
“For the poor, even if you transfer GHS100 thirty times, you will not pay e-levy”, he said.
In his view, “anybody who is able to transfer GHS3,000 in a month is not poor in Ghana because the average graduate pay is GHS1,500”.
“So, the e-levy will not affect a lot of people”, he added.
The former Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission also observed that no one likes taxes but “Ghanaians must know that if we don’t double all our taxes in the next two years or so, we can’t develop”.
“E-levy is less than 5% of the budget”, he pointed out.
He also dispelled claims that is a “lazy man’s way of raising revenue”.
“E-levy will make real impact in the future”, he added.
Source: classfmonline.com
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Prof Addai, the people are getting fed up. Why not government cut out the excessive expenditures? Why not board members take less thank what my are currently taking, infact most of them take getting allowance that cannot match any fair market value if they were to be in a developed country even.
We shd pay double taxes in within the next two years so you can squander and enrich your selves to the detriment of the masses. God is watching you, l will not insult you because you are an elder person. What do you do with the taxes, drive V8 cars with engines on for hours when car is packed because you get unlimited fuel ⛽ with our taxes. Yet you people are not satisfied,vwant to squeeze more from us. Be careful, you will all pay dearly for cheating the poor, Mr former GRA Board chair 💺.