Minority to introduce private member’s bill for removal of E-levy, betting tax

The Minority in Parliament has announced its intention to introduce a private member’s bill aimed at repealing the E-levy, emissions tax, and betting tax.

This move comes in response to the recent proposal by the New Patriotic Party’s flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who pledged to eliminate these taxes if elected in the 2024 polls.

While the e-levy, emissions tax, and betting tax have been contentious issues, the Minority aims to address them through legislative action.

The private member’s bill seeks to compel the government to reconsider these taxes, which are considered nuisance taxes.

During his concluding remarks on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Parliament on Monday, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, emphasised that these taxes placed a heavy burden on businesses within the country.

Dr Forson expressed hope that the Majority side of the House, which endorsed Dr Bawumia’s stance on removing the e-levy, would also support this bill.

“The unemployment situation in our country is at a crisis point. Mr Speaker the high cost of living has become a nightmare for many people. This has significantly deteriorated during the depreciation of our currency, especially Mr Speaker food inflation.

“Sadly a recent World Bank report on food security released on the 13th of November 2023 cited Ghana among the top five countries in the world with the highest food inflation. Many families in Ghana today cannot put food on the table,” he stated.