81.6% of Ghanaians want E-Levy cancelled – Survey

An overwhelming number of Ghanaians (81.6%) want the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) to be cancelled and never be introduced, a survey by the Center for Economics Finance and Inequality Studies has revealed.

However, 36.4% did not have any knowledge about the E-Levy.

The research was carried out by Dr Benjamin Amoah of the University of Ghana Business School and Professor Anthony Amoah of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development.

The report relied on Google Online Forms as a key instrument for data collection. All respondents were automatically restricted to only one entry.

Furthermore, 13.5% of the respondents held the view that the E-Levy should be passed into law and implemented.

However, a small population of 4.9% were of the view that it should be passed after the year 2022.

Also, 1,679 of the respondents, out of the 2,650 were aware of the E-Levy. This implies that much education needs to be done to increase public knowledge and understanding of the E-Levy.

64.6% of Ghanaians believe Ghana needs more money

The survey also assessed the nation’s fiscal position concerns.

It came out that 64.6% of Ghanaians were categorical that Ghana needs more money.

Those who held a contrary view made up of 25.9%, with the position that there is no need to increase government revenue.

91.8% of Ghanaians worried about Ghana’s rising debt

On the country’s rising debt, it came out that 91.8% of the respondents are concerned about the country’s increasing debt.

54.3% Ghanaians want cut in government expenditure

With regard to substitutes for the E-Ley, about 54.3% of the respondents want a cut in unproductive government expenditure.

A further 37.7% also want managers of the economy to block corrupt channels that are leakages in the revenue bucket.

The other sources of revenue preferable to the E-Levy include enforcement of property rates with a score of 3.9%.

Tax on treasury investment income is preferred by 1.1% of the respondents.

46% Ghanaians prefer zero rate for E-Levy

When asked, what rate will the respondents be willing to pay assuming the E-Levy is passed, it came out that 46% prefer a zero rate.

The non-zero rate, however, constituted 54%.

For the non-zeros, those who prefer a levy of 1.7% are 0.2% of the sample.

21.1% will however support a 0.50% levy.

A further 10.4% prefer a 1% levy per transaction.

The study further revealed that 10% will prefer ¢5 per month on all transactions above 100.