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No need to hold the country to ransom with e-Levy; negotiate instead – Finance Minister told

Headlines No need to hold the country to ransom with e-Levy; negotiate instead – Finance Minister told
JAN 20, 2022 LISTEN

Security analyst, Dr. Adam Bonaa has urged the Minister of Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta and his team to up their negotiation game instead of holding the country to ransom with the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy).

The Minister during his presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy Document to Parliament last year revealed plans by government to introduce a 1.75% tax on financial transactions carried out electronically.

On the back of what many people described as the lack of needed stakeholder engagement, the levy was rejected by Minority in Parliament.

Ahead of the resumption of Parliament next week, Dr. Adam Bonaa has in a statement implored Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta and his team to negotiate with stakeholders to avoid any more fisticuffs in the House.

“There is really no need for the Minister of Finance and his team holding this country to ransom instead of negotiating their way out of this E-LEVY conflict as we are seeing in parliament. Investor confidence in Ghana’s economy would obviously suffer in 2022,” the Security Analyst notes in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bonaa has also called on Members of Parliament to work in a civilised environment when sitting resumes.

“The open uncivilised confrontation amongst our MP’s cannot continue, we need them to work together and resolve matters in a more civilized manner.

“Leadership from both sides of the house must be seen to be leading wisely instead of throwing tantrums on the airwaves, fisticuffs, blows and shouting,” Dr. Adam Bonaa adds.

Ghana’s Parliament is scheduled to resume sitting on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.

Read the full statement from Dr. Adam Bonaa below:

Makers of laws lawless!!!!!!!

Our MP’s must show leadership on the 25th of Jan 2022 with or without the speaker of parliament on/in his seat. Do it the Ghanaian way, the civilized way, agree to disagree with sense, use dialogue, not brute force and “takaashi” (Which literally means step on him in Hausa) to do a work that requires higher intellect, sound mind and good reasoning capabilities. I want to believe our MP’s aren’t deficient in any, some or all of the above?

Ghana’s parliament has become lawless with the tacit support of the executive. Our elected MP’s must know they are in parliament to represent the good people of this country and should show leadership at every given opportunity. Are our MP’s aware that any show of their inability to dialogue on simple matters but rather resort to the use of barbaric brute force in resolving their differences is an open invitation for others to invade our democratic space unconstitutionally, sending this country backwards 100 years? Security watchers like myself are worried for the security of this country and for our MP’s.

If they don’t change their ways and anything terrible happens to this country because of their somewhat childish behavior, they would be the first to be detained, wiped, stripped of their dignity and that MP’s immunity they so cherish would be gone forever.

There is really no need for the Minister of Finance and his team holding this country to ransom instead of negotiating their way out of this E-LEVY conflict as we are seeing in parliament. Investor confidence in Ghana’s economy would obviously suffer in 2022.

The open uncivilized confrontation amongst our MP’s cannot continue, we need them to work together and resolve matters in a more civilized manner.

Leadership from both sides of the house must be seen to be leading wisely instead of throwing tantrums on the airwaves, fisticuffs, blows and shouting.

Parliament must protect, preserve and uphold our 4th republican democratic constitution and not open it up for invaders to take power unconstitutionally like we have witnessed in the past and in some sub-Saharan countries lately.

We cannot all be MP’s at same time and that is why its only few that are elected to represent the rest.

There cannot be permanent winners without honest dialogue.

Shalom!

I am Dr Adam Bonaa, a citizen and not a spectator.

Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo
Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo

JournalistPage: EricNanaYawKwafo

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