Some members of Parliament from the Minority National Democratic Congress (N.D.C) have approached the Supreme Court to restrain the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and its associated agents and offices from the planned implementation of the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-Levy). The implementation date is scheduled for May 1, 2022. The MP’s are Minority Leader in Parliament Hon. Haruna Iddirisu, Mahama Ayariga and Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament For North Tongu.
The restraining move is due to a substantive case currently before the apex court pending a determination in connection to the E-levy. The scheduled date for the hearing in court due to the legal move by the MP’S is the 4th of May, 2022, three days after the planned date for the implementation of the levy.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Tuesday, April 19, 2022 made the announcement via his Facebook page stating the success of the application.
“We have today successfully filed an application at the Supreme Court to injunct the implementation of the obnoxious E-levy pending the determination of our substantive case. Hearing is fixed for 4th May, 2022”. The MPs case against the Attorney-General is the argument that Parliament did not have the required number which states that at least half of members must be present when the controversial tax policy was approved.
Private legal practitioner, Godwin Tameklo filed the documents on behalf of the Members Of Parliament. The Electronic Levy when implemented will place a 1.5 percent from its initial 1.75 percent charge on all mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments, and inward remittances. The E-Levy is proposed by the ruling National Democratic Congress with the aim of widening the tax net to raise more money to aid government implement various projects.
Hon. Haruna Iddirisu in other media encounters has insisted that the E-Levy is a form of double taxation which is discriminatory as it will only apply to electronic transactions. Hon. Haruna Iddirisu continued that it was a lazy way of seeking to tax money.
The government is projecting to rake in tax revenue of about GH¢6.96 billion (US$1.1 billion) by the end of 2022. On the other hand an estimated GH¢26.90 billion (US$4.5 billion) from 2023 to 2025 after the implementation of the electronic transaction levy as the informal sector is rope into the tax net.
