NDC govt reintroduces E-Levy through back door via proposed 0.75% wallet-to-bank transfer fee – Afenyo-Markin

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration of double standards over what he describes as the indirect return of the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy).

Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, Mr. Afenyo-Markin alleged that the government had quietly introduced new charges on mobile money and wallet-to-bank transactions despite previously campaigning against the E-Levy while in opposition.

According to him, the NDC administration initially won public approval after scrapping the E-Levy upon taking office in 2025, but later introduced what he described as a “Dumsor Levy” under the Energy Sector Reform Levy, which added GH¢1 to every litre of fuel purchased.

“The NDC government, through the back door, has reintroduced the E-Levy,” he claimed.

The Minority Leader further referred to a recent announcement indicating that direct wallet-to-bank transfers would attract a 0.75 per cent charge from June 1, 2026, arguing that the move contradicted the NDC’s earlier criticism of taxes on electronic transactions.

He accused the government of attempting to introduce the charges through the Bank of Ghana and a fintech company without seeking parliamentary approval.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin argued that unlike the Akufo-Addo administration’s E-Levy, which was introduced through the national budget and debated in Parliament, the current arrangement bypassed the legislature entirely.

He therefore called on the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, to appear before Parliament on Thursday to explain the circumstances surrounding the proposed fee.

“We are not interested in the suspension; we are interested in how, but for public outcry, they were going to spring this surprise on Ghanaians,” he stated.

Beyond the transaction fee controversy, the Minority Leader also criticised the government’s broader economic and social policies, accusing it of failing to fulfil several key campaign promises.

He claimed the administration had not delivered on its “one job, three shifts” policy and had also failed to meet promises made to cocoa farmers, rice farmers, and unemployed youth.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin further alleged that electricity tariffs had increased by nearly 30 per cent and water tariffs by 19 per cent within the government’s first one and a half years in office, while power outages had resurfaced.

He also criticised ongoing recruitment into the security services, arguing that despite limited budgetary space for about 5,000 recruits, recruitment forms had been sold to hundreds of thousands of applicants.

On unemployment, he accused the government of terminating the appointments of legitimately employed workers after assuming office, thereby worsening the job situation.

The Minority Leader additionally questioned the status of the NDC’s proposed Women’s Bank initiative, saying the promised support scheme for women had yet to materialise.

He described the administration as “a government of propaganda” that “says one thing and does another.”