E-levy: Fast and pray against NPP MPs – Akandoh tell constituents

Member of Parliament for Juaboso, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has called on Ghanaians to fast and pray so that the Majority in Parliament will not have the numbers to approve the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) bill.

According to him, the only way the bill will be approved is for the NPP to marshal all its 137 MPs, plus the independent MP for Fomena, to the chamber since the minority will never lend its support to the bill.

The E-Levy seeks to impose a 1.75% levy on some electronic transactions: mobile money transfers done between accounts on the same Electronic Money Issuers (EMI), Mobile money transfers from accounts on one EMI to a recipient on another EMI, Transfers from bank accounts to mobile money accounts (either directly, GIP debit, bank cards or another scheme), Transfers from mobile money accounts to bank accounts (either directly, GIP debit, bank cards or another scheme) and Bank transfers originating from a bank account belonging to an individual.

But the introduction of the bill has met stiff opposition from the opposition, who argue it will further compound the hardships of the ordinary Ghanaian.

The government has, however, assured the citizens that a revised bill will be re-laid in parliament after its town hall meetings through which the Finance Ministry is explaining to the general populace the rationale behind the introduction of the levy.

The laying of the revised bill before parliament has suffered some postponements as the governing NPP is unable to marshal all its numbers, with DomeKwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo still being overseas and demanding she be made the Deputy Majority Leader before she shows up in parliament.

Speaking at an engagement to solicit the views of his constituents on whether or not to approve the bill, Mr Akandoh said: “You say you don’t want the e-levy and that when the issue is raised before the house, I should vote against it”.

“You say that even if all the 275 MPs support the levy, I, as your MP, should vote against it”.

“Then you have to pray and fast against the NPP having all their numbers in the chamber”, he urged, adding: “It’s the only way to kick against it because even if we [NDC] oppose it, the NPP will approve it with their numbers, if they’re all present,” he said.

---Classfmonline.com