Actress,Lydia Forson, has raised concerns about the proposed E-levy Bill, which is being debated in Parliament.
Among the many concerns she raised are the possible repercussions which may arise from its implementation, and that she feared that the move will reverse gains made so far towards a cashless society.
She added that Ghanaians already pay tax, and thus would not accept the assertion by those in favour of the bill that Ghanaians do not.
Lydia Forson made the statements in a series of tweets:
I’m so SICK & TIRED of hearing people say Ghanaians don’t pay tax.
In nearly every conversation y’all try to use this as some type of defense.
Ghanaians DO PAY TAX‼️‼️‼️
There are different forms of tax so be specific in your arguments.
— miss forson (@lydiaforson) January 29, 2022
What’s annoying is that we all know how rich people, big corporations get away with not paying water, electricity etc but it’s always poor people who they know they have power over that they’ll come for.
But it’s poor people you want to act like they contribute nothing ?!
— miss forson (@lydiaforson) January 29, 2022
Online business will suffer the most.
If you don’t have a shop, and people pay through momo, customers will opt for options with shops.
— miss forson (@lydiaforson) January 29, 2022
What was gradually making Ghana a cashless society is now going to set us back, because trust me, for poor people EVERY CEDI COUNTS.
Why do you think people ask you to add charges for momo when it should be their cost?
— miss forson (@lydiaforson) January 29, 2022
I went to the pharmacy yesterday, when it was time to pay I took out my phone to send the money.
I found myself pausing to ask if the #ELevy had started, they said no, I still opted to pay in cash.
Y’all don’t get how survival kicks in when your back is against the wall.
— miss forson (@lydiaforson) January 29, 2022
Despite widespread criticism of the E-levy (MOMO tax), proposed by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, the administration argues that the tax will be an efficient means to raise the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio from 13 percent to a target of 16 percent or higher.
By Lord Kweku Sekyi
