A No To E-Levy Is A No To Development- TESCON-KNUST Fires
TESCON- KNUST is calling on Ghanaians to accept the Electronic Levy to accelerate development.
According to the TESCON- KNUST a No to the E-Levy is a No to Ghana’s development.
In a press release copied to wontumionline.com, the student wing of the NPP stated the criticisms by the NDC concerning the E-Levy is false and a fat propaganda.
The NPP government has not made Ghana Heaven but we can all see the massive
improvement on our roads. We are therefore not surprised that the Nana Akufo Addo
administration has constructed more roads than any government since independence.,” part of the release said.
The TESCON-KNUST stressed that, it will continue to appeal to the Information Ministry to replicate the town hall meetings in all the Regions.
Full release below….
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, the government has decided to widen the tax net to
enable it mobilize more revenue and also reduce the rate of borrowing which comes
with cost during the servicing of these loans. It must be put on record that only
2.4million out of the Over 30 million Ghanaians pay direct taxes to the Government. We
all agree Ghana cannot achieve a lot when only few Ghanaians pay tax to support the
Government.
Friends of the Press, the NDC had run the economy down from over 8% economic
growth (GDP) to 3.4% which necessitated bail out from IMF.
The NPP within a year improved the GDP growth from 3.4 to over 8% in 2017.
By 2019 the economic growth averaged was 7%.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, in March 2020 COVID had a toll on Ghanaians with
its negative effect on the economy.
In fact (GDP) growth dropped from the average of 7% to 0.4% which was higher than
an average GDP growth of -1.4% for the sub Saharan Africa.
Friends of the Press, the government has been able to recover the economy with GDP
growth now hovering above 5% (6.6% in the 3rd quarter of 2021).
During the COVID period, we went into lock down and government revenue dropped
drastically.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Government irrespective of the economic issues has decided do
more infrastructure, youStart, digitization, 1m dollar per constituency, 1D1F, 1V1D,
PFJ etc but still working hard to reduce borrowing.
An amount GHC 70-90 b Electronic transaction in 2016 has risen to GHC 900 b when
NPP came to power.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have heard a section of the Ghanaian public make the
argument that why should government raise just a little below GHS 7billion when an
Auditor General’s report indicate that almost GHS12.8 billion was lost in the 2020
financial year alone. Further checks have revealed that this assertion is not only false but
also a fat propaganda championed by the NDC to incite the public against Government. In
fact, it has emerged that the losses due to irregularities are from 2016 to 2020 financial
year but not amount lost in 2020 alone. In 2016, the irregularities reported were just GHS
2billion, in 2017 GHS 892 Million, in 2018 GHS 5 billion, in 2019 GHS 3 billion then in
2020 GHS 2 billion. A breakdown of the 2018 figures has also revealed that out of the
GHS5 billion losses, about 4.7 billion are tax irregularities from companies, individuals,
business entities that have failed to pay their taxes after an assessment by the Ghana
Revenue Authority.
It has also emerged that 1 billion of the said GHS12 billion are loans advanced to the
public sector workers who could be our fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, and mothers. So
why would someone say that the NPP government that is building systems to fight
corruption will let GHS12.8 billion to slip through individual hands in 2020 alone?
The NPP government has not made Ghana Heaven but we can all see the massive
improvement on our roads. We are therefore not surprised that the Nana Akufo Addo
administration has constructed more roads than any government since independence.
We are all witnesses to the many factories that have started operating to contribute to the
economy which hitherto were not available in the past. The mobile money interoperability
is also an investment the Government has made to allow us to send money across the
various communition networks like MTN to Airtel Tigo, Vodafone to MTN, from Banks
to MoMo and so on. We can also see the massive infrastructural developments in our
Senior High Schools meant to bring to an end the double track system.
Free SHS, 100% increment in the capitation grants to basic schools, the agenda 111,
restoration of allowances to teacher and nursing trainees and so on are the various projects
and policies that have been undertaken by this government.
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Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, Government is appealing to us as Ghanaians to help
recover the economy as a shared responsibility.
Government is requesting for 1.5% electronic transaction levy without taxing the first
GHS100 per day. We will continue to appeal to the Finance and the Communication
Ministry to replicate the town hall meetings in all the regions and if possible the various
communities for further consultations and also educate them on the need to support the
E-LEVY. If there is anything the Finance Ministry can to further reduce the rate of the
levy, the ministry should not hesitate to do so. Example: reduce the e-levy rate to 1% and
raise the talk tax rate.
Fellow Ghanaians, if the Communication Service Tax revenue enabled Government to
establish the Youth Employment Agency to pay the monthly allowances for the
beneficiaries of YEA then we can also trust the government that the defined use of the
revenue that will be generated from the E-LEVY will definitely be used for the YouStart
meant to create more entrepreneurs, the roads and the improvement of our cyber security.
A NO to the E-Levy is a NO to the gentleman in Adjakaa-Manso who has been looking
for just GHS10,000 to start his own business to employ two or more Ghanaians.
A NO to the E-Levy is not only a NO to the Road Construction in Kwabre East in the
Ashanti Region but also a NO to the good people of Amenfi Central Constituency who
are demanding good roads.
Let’s continue to support the government as we work towards Ghana beyond aid. We
cannot continue to depend on grants and loans that come with alot of conditionalities
which mostly do not inure to the benefits of the ordinary Ghanaian. Let us support H.E.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to help build this country.
We thank you very much for your time.
God bless Ghana.
God bless the New Patriotic Party.
God bless TESCON-KNUST.