A Deputy Finance Minister, John Kumah says it may get to a time that government may not be able to fulfil some critical payment obligations if the government’s revenue mobilization measures including the electronic transfer levy are not supported.
Although he has debunked claims that government workers may not be paid in the next three months, he says there is the need for the E-levy to be passed in order not to create a difficult financial situation for the government.
While many have criticized and described it as retrogressive, the government insists it is the game-changer.
In an interview with Citi Business News, John Ampontuah Kumah, a Deputy Finance Minister shed more light on the remarks of the Speaker of Parliament concerning the payment of government workers.
“First of all it is not true that government cannot pay workers in the next three months, let me give a firm assurance that workers are going to receive their pay. On the point made by the Speaker of parliament, I think that he made a very genuine call to all members of parliament that we must move parliament beyond partisanship and support government domestic revenue mobilization programs, especially the E-Levy so that we don’t create a very difficult financial constraint for the government.”
“Parliament has passed the 2022 appropriation bill which means that government has to spend, and yet a key critical component of the revenues that will help you to spend (E-Levy) is being opposed in parliament. So the Speaker has expressed a genuine concern to the effect that if we don’t support government it may get to a time that it will become difficult for critical payments of government to be fulfilled,” he added.
John Kumah made this statement on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Ashanti regional youth Parliament as a guest speaker under the theme “The Ghanaian Taxation system and the sustainability of her development”.
Speaking at the event, the Ashanti regional minister, Simon Osei Mensah and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, Pius Enam Hadzide stressed the need for Ghanaians to support the E-levy.
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