Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has clarified that the much talked about Electronic Transfer Bill 2021 has rather been amended and not withdrawn as communicated to earlier.
According to him the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) took a position that they would accept the E-Levy when it’s one (1) percent and one point seven five percent (1.75) and did a u turn later.
As they said they were no more going to support the E-Levy, “we are engaging Ghanaians and the Minority and we have come to one point five (1.5%). The Telcos have also reduced to point two five (0.25%) – all these should reflect in the Bill”.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin gave this explanation on Friday, February 11, 2022 when he engaged members of the Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) when they wanted to know what was causing the delay in dealing with the E-Levy Bill.
He further added that certain people have taken partisan position on the subject matter and they are not ready to look at the reality; and added that people must understand the E-Levy. “So you realised that it has been back to back engagement and it is good for our democracy”.
Again, he noted turning the issue into politics he does not think Ghanaians want that, rather they want issues that would help them and “we should explain to them why the E-Levy as the General Secretary of NDC said they would introduce taxation when they get power but not E-Levy”.
“What are you talking about, so in real terms, a levy is a tax, so if you say as a party you acknowledge the fact that should government authority get into your hands you would need taxation for the purpose of governance, in any event what do we know about the history of our colleagues in opposition today, they impose a lot of taxes we came to abolish?”
The Deputy Majority Leader again emphasised that since they came to government this is the first time that they are introducing a major tax policy, “we have reduced the burden on Ghanaians than we have imposed on them. During the NDC administration the cost of production of electricity was high, therefore the cry on government to reduce the electricity tariffs”.
But it took the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for that to be realised, as industry enjoy much rebate as much as 30 percent and household 17 percent and these are realities, “the NDC should not create impression that they would have done better, they said they could not reduce electricity tariffs”
“They came to power to reduce it and have not increased it as Ghanaians are better off, the utility that they were increasing Ghanaians would have been worse off if they had maintained the tariffs that NDC introduced, “ point to any other tax, we have introduced since we came to power? “
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com
According to him contrary to the perceive impression in the public domain that the E-Levy when it comes into force would be 1.75, the actual percentage is 3.75.
Again, the Bill withdrawn before parliament was even technically incompetent, adding he has heard the Finance Minister tell the world that the Telcos have agreed to grant him point two five percent (.0.25%), but queried that figure stating that Vodafone cash is currently point zero, so where would the finance minister get his point two five percent?”
“This would let them see that, it would insulate the Parliament from local constitutional crises, like what we are witnessing now” stating that; if MPs were directly elected, suspending constitutions and National Parliaments in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali would not have affected elected MPs to the ECOWAS Parliament..
As to whether he still stands by his earlier interview to go to the Community Court of Justice over the issue of direct election to the ECOWAS Parliament, he noted that he is still considering it but want to give countries more opportunity to dialogue around the subject matter.
Briefing the media on Friday, February 4, 2022 the Ranking member pointed out that as a Committee they do not have any evidence that in the past the Ministry and its agencies raised issued of operational breaches on the part of McDan which led to admonishment, sanction or punishment.
Contributing to a statement made by the NDC MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to condemn the successive coup d’états in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, and the recent attempted coup in Burkina Faso, Mr. Annoh-Dompreh who is also the NPP MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, said attacks on the Speaker’s Chair by the NDC MPs during the previous meeting could best be described as coup d’état, urging all to reflect on the distasteful act and purge themselves.
Mr. Osei Owusu, affectionately called Joe Wise, after listening to arguments for and against the approval of the budget, ruled in favour of the Majority and argued that he did not partake in the voting for the approval of the budget, hence his ruling.
Mr. Ayariga noted that what is happening in the sub-region is not a good development but also a lesson that, “we must go beyond elections to pay attention to the content of governance; unless this is done well and effectively, and unless democracy is delivering social good to the people and democracy can grantee peoples basic security as in Burkina Faso, Mail, Niger and in Guinea, democracy would lose credibility”.
“And if this continues citizens within the sub-region would lose confidence in democracy and nothing would save democracy but democracy is supposed to be a system of check and balance, “if it is removed it becomes a hollow democracy”, Mr. Ayariga emphasized.