The government will on Thursday, January 27, 2022, hold a major town mall meeting on the controversial Electronic Transactions Levy (E-levy).
The exercise forms part of series of engagements the government has planned with the aim of explaining the importance of the E-levy as well as take feedback and inputs from relevant stakeholders on the levy.
The government also says the feedback will inform it on the implementation of the levy.
The E-levy is a new tax measure introduced by the government in the 2022 Budget on basic transactions related to digital payments and electronic platform transactions.
A charge of 1.75% will apply to electronic transactions that are more than GH¢100 on a daily basis.
The town hall meeting will feature Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister for Communication and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
Also, to be in attendance at the forums will be sector-specific Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other relevant industry stakeholders.
The Town Hall Meeting is being organised by the Ministry of Information and will be live on various television networks in the country as well as the Ministry’s social media pages.
Ken Ofori-Atta last week gave hints of the planned town hall meeting during a press conference.
He said the government is convinced about the need for the e-levy and how it encapsulates the idea of burden-sharing for Ghana’s development.
“Beginning on Thursday, a team comprising myself, colleague ministers and other key members of government will embark on a public engagement and sensitisation campaign across the country. We intend to communicate clearly on the proposed mechanics of the e-levy, its potential benefits to the people of Ghana within the spirit of burden-sharing that must guide us in our development efforts as we move Ghana Beyond Aid,” he said.