E-levy removal: You said resistant CSOs were paid by NDC; has Bawumia also been paid

Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, has questioned the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) sudden change of stance on the controversial electronic transfer levy (e-levy) and proposals to reduce the size of government.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, unveiling his vision for Ghana on Wednesday, February 7, promised to scrap the e-levy, betting taxes, emission tax and the recent controversial 15% VAT on electricity.

He also pledged to reduce the number of ministers to 50 if he becomes President in 2025.

However, in a Facebook post on Thursday, Kofi Asare pointed out that when civil society organizations (CSOs) called for the withdrawal of the e-levy and reduction of ministers earlier, NPP supporters attacked and accused them of being paid by the opposition NDC.

"When civil society and independent-minded citizens called for the withdrawal of e-levy, party footsoldiers were deployed to insult us. They said we were paid by the NDC to oppose e-levy because the NDC was afraid e-levy would turn Ghana into America,” he wrote.

Mr. Asare further questioned if Bawumia has also been paid by the NDC like the CSOs were accused of, now that he is also opposing the same policies.

"How much did the NDC pay DMB to think of scrapping the e-levy? When CSOs called on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reduce the number of ministers to less than 50, at a time our sister Cote d’ ivoire was reducing from 41 to 32, beneficiaries of the Obolo government were sent to insult us here," he added.

E-levy removal: You said resistant CSOs were paid by NDC; has Bawumia also been paid — Kofi Asare quizzes NPP