‘An Atta Mills presidency would not have introduced E-levy’ – Haruna Iddrisu

Haruna Iddrisu, leader of the minority, asserts that the late President Prof. John Evans Atta Mills’ contribution to the growth and development of Ghana is unprecedented.

Mr. Iddrisu argued that the New Patriotic Party is incapable of achieving the single-digit inflation rate of the late president’s administration, and that his party runs Ghana’s economy better than the NPP.

According to him, the humane Mills would not have imposed a “unfair E-levy tax” on an already overburdened Ghanaian public without conducting a broader consultation.

Mr. Iddrisu stated that Ghanaians should blame Nana Akufo-Addo, not the Minority, for the implementation of the e-levy during the first in a series of lectures commemorating the 10th anniversary of the passing of the late Professor Mills in Tamale.

Since his death, inflation has never been in the single digits, which was the norm throughout his lifetime. Ghana has never had steady and high growth in its gross domestic product greater than the 14.1% obtained in 2011. Prof. Atta Mills’ contribution to our nation’s progress and prosperity remains unequaled. At least with regard to e-levy, Professor, as a taxation expert, would never have proposed a tax pregnant with double taxation.”

The implementation of the controversial tax began on May 1, 2022, following its initial announcement in the 2022 budget.
The tax was decreased from 1.75 percent to 1.5 percent in response to protests from a variety of interested parties.

The reduction was deemed insufficient by the groups that demanded the elimination of the tax.

The government had anticipated to earn approximately GH7 billion from the 1.5 percent charge on mobile money and other electronic transactions, but the figure was recently lowered downwards to approximately GH4 billion.