Gov’t claims Minority, Speaker frustrating e-levy total lies, they have chicken out

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the South Dayi Constituency in the Volta Region, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has debunked claims the Speaker and the Minority group in Parliament are frustrating government business as far as the e-levy is concerned.

According to him, government has not even laid the bill which will give birth to the e-levy since the house returned from the Christmas break.

The National Democratic Congress MP said government has chicken out of it own programme and that cannot be blamed on the Minority and the Speaker.

Mr Dafeamekpor raised the issue while contributing to discussions on TV3 NewDay on Tuesday, February 22 monitored by GhanaPlus.com.

“Let go into the history of this e-levy business. You brought e-levy to parliament on 15 of December and got it referred to the appropriate committee. The expectation is that you were going to pass it before we rose for Christmas. Now for some laxity, you don’t follow through with your programme and we went on Christmas break. When we come back you heard them say that as soon as we resume on 25^th January, we were going to pass e-levy. It been a month since we resume, find out whether e-levy has featured in the business of Parliament. This is the bill. This is the report from the Finance Committee. The report has not even been laid in Parliament, ask them so when they make the claim that it is the Minority or it is the Speaker that is frustrating them it is a total lie,” he said.

“As a government, we expect you that when the Finance Committee came with the report, you would have allowed the report to be laid and debated and the report taken and resolution pass so we could go into consideration of the bill, by some design you have chicken out so the report is in abeyance. Is been distributed to members but is not been laid,” Mr Dafeamekpor added.

He noted the e-levy is currently not part of government business in the house and no one knows when it will be laid before the house.

“Yes… we don’t have a date,” he said answering the question “so we don’t know when it will be laid? As at now we don’t have a date?.  

“I also brought a couple of our business statement to show you. This is for instance up to 25 of Feb, e-levy is not featuring. This is the current one that we have, this is the one we are operating with today e-levy is not featuring and yet they will say Speaker is frustrating their work in Parliament…..Their own report they haven’t laid it. What will give birth to e-levy they haven’t laid it,” the MP emphasized.

Government accuse Speaker, Minority of frustrating e-levy

Government and its communicators have consistently blamed the Speaker and the Minority for its ability to push through the levy which is seeking tax some 1.5% on electronic transactions including mobile money transfers above ₵100.

The Majority Speaker, Mr Osei Kyei Mensah said the Speaker requested that a whopping 1.7billion allocation be made to parliament out of the country’s total revenue, a request which had not been met and that explains, Mr Bagbin behavior towards the proposed e-levy.

The levy, initially 1.7% is expected to generate some 6.9billion to support among other things government entrepreneurship programme YouStart, for the youth in the country.

However, the levy has been met with stiff opposition from all and sundry, the Minority in Parliament inclusive.

The Speaker of Parliament have also caution, government will lose the 2024 elections if the levy is passed.

Source: GhanaPlus.com