We are with you; be firm and reject insensitive, monstrous E-Levy – PPP charges Minority

The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) is backing the Minority Caucus in Parliament to reject the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-Levy) with the argument that it will worsen the already dire and precarious economic and harsh living conditions of the citizenry.

In a statement, the PPP says the solution to Ghana’s economic challenges is not the imposition of a monstrous tax like the E-Levy.

“We are against this new tax measure because we believe the solution to the current economic challenges in the country is not imposition of new taxes to raise revenue,” the PPP statement issued by its 2020 Vice Presidential Candidate, Kofi Asamoah Siaw has said.

PPP says it opposes the budget proposal because government has failed to demonstrate clear accountability in the management of public funds.

“What we have is the empty sloganeering such as, ‘Protecting the Public Purse’, whilst in actual fact, the purse is leaking profusely, as the Auditor-General keeps reporting, or the deliberate set-up of a looting machine to dissipate public funds to the benefit of party functionaries and appointees of the regime.

“To this end, we call on all our Members of Parliament, and especially the NDC Minority, to remain resolute in the defence of the people of Ghana by rejecting this insensitive E-levy proposal,” the statement added.

It concludes, “Parliament should note that they are not alone in their patriotic opposition to the 2022 budget.

“The PPP stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our MPs in Parliament in your bid to exercising your parliamentary oversight to reject the 2022 budget and more especially the E-Levy.”

Read the full PPP statement below:

REJECT E-LEVY WITH YOUR PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT

The Progressive People’s Party (PPP), in support of the grievances of the good people of Ghana, states forcefully that, we are opposed to, disagree with and reject the imposition of any additional taxes in the 2022 Budget Statement, especially the draconian E-Levy.

We are against this new tax measure because, we believe the solution to the current economic challenges in the country is not imposition of new taxes to raise revenue. Rather, it is about the prudent management of national revenue required of the President, the Finance Minister and their seemingly unapologetic, clueless lieutenants.

The PPP believes that, the role of parliament or Members of Parliament, irrespective of their political party, represents the interest and aspirations of the good people of Ghana. It is evidently clear, that, the people of Ghana are UNITED, speaking against this monstrous tax handler called the E-levy. Therefore, it is the job of our MPs to live up to their representative function and reject this insensitive and draconian budget proposal in consonance with the aspirations of the overwhelming majority of their constituents.

Again, we are opposed to this budget proposal because the government has failed to demonstrate clear accountability in the management of public funds. What we have is the empty sloganeering such as, “Protecting the Public Purse”, whilst in actual fact, the purse is leaking profusely, as the Auditor-General keeps reporting, or the deliberate set up of a looting machine to dissipate public funds to the benefit of party functionaries and appointees of the regime. For example, the Auditor-General’s report for 2020 indicates that, the People of Ghana, lost over GHS12billion (USD2Billion) to corruption in a single year. Interestingly, the expected or projected revenue from the E-levy in the 2022 budget statement is only a little over GHS6billion (USD1Billion). One will therefore ask: why waste GHS12billion through corruption and introduce an obnoxious tax with the hope to generate a revenue target of GHS6bllion?

It makes simple sense that, the desperately needed GHS6billion additional revenue and more, will be at the disposal of the government with ease when corruption is checked instead of the unwarranted imposition of more insensitive taxes such as the E-Levy.

More to it, the Minister of Finance and his colleague, the National Security Minister has blatantly refused to account to parliament how much it cost "We the People" to fly the President around the world in the new-found and obscene taste for luxurious jets, and how much it cost us to keep the chartered jet blocked for months solely for our President’s use, even when it was not needed. How can we “burden share” whilst only our topmost public servants are dissipating the so called insufficient public revenue on an unnecessary and obscene taste for nouveau riche luxury at the expense of the poor tax payer?

Again, the Finance Minister has even refused to account for the portion of the petroleum revenue going into the Annual Budget Funding Account (ABFA) for five consecutive years, effectively calling the bluff of the Public Interest & Accountability Committee (PIAC) and in violation of the petroleum revenue management laws passed by the Parliament of Ghana.

The greatest demonstration of arrogance of power, complete disregard for the people’s power and contempt of parliament is, for the Finance Minister to seek approval from the same august House of Parliament to which he has refused to render account in terms of his respect for PIAC and the Petroleum Management Laws and the necessity to respond to the urgent questions filed regarding the cost of the luxurious presidential travels.

In addition, the Finance Minister says GHS10billion has been earmarked for YouStart – the government’s youth entrepreneurial start-up program. Meanwhile, there are contractors and other businesses that has been purposefully collapsed because the government under the same Minister has refused to pay them what they are owed. We know for a fact that those contractors and business owners are also entrepreneurs. The Ghana Chamber of Contractors published recently that they are OWED in terms of Interim Payments Certificates (IPCS), an amount of Ghc10billion since 2017 which continue to remain unpaid and accumulating interest.

This amount is different from debt owed due to termination of contracts and suspension of ongoing projects. What is the point in collapsing a group of entrepreneurs and attempt to create others by deceptively urging the youth to start all over again? What message is being sent to these young entrepreneurs about the future of their businesses? Or might it be just another way to enrich party foot soldiers and apparatchiks?

Therefore, instead of the government projecting YouStart, as some magic wand to create entrepreneurs overnight, the Finance Minister should prioritise the payment of, and indeed pay the deliberately delayed government indebtedness to those Ghanaian entrepreneurs and then they can proceed to introduce their plan of creating more entrepreneurs.

To this end, we call on all our Members of Parliament, and especially the NDC Minority, to remain resolute in the defence of the people of Ghana by rejecting this insensitive E-levy proposal. The E-levy if accepted in any shades or form, will disrupt economic activities and growth and will worsen the already dire and precarious economic and harsh living conditions of the citizenry.

Parliament should note that they are not alone in their patriotic opposition to the 2022 budget. The PPP stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our MPs in Parliament in your bid to exercising your parliamentary oversight to reject the 2022 budget and more especially the E-Levy.

Sign:

Kofi Asamoah-Siaw

2020 Vice Presidential Candidate