Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante, a renowned political analyst, has reaffirmed his support for the electronic levy (e-levy), citing its potential to generate revenue for the country.
This comes after he faced backlash for advising President John Dramani Mahama not to scrap the e-levy, despite promising to do so during his 2024 election campaign.
Responding to the backlash in an interview on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Dr. Asah-Asante clarified his stance on the levy, stating that he has always supported it as a means for the government to raise revenue.
He acknowledged that the initial 1.5% tax rate may have been too high, but advocated for a reduced rate of 1%, which was eventually implemented.
The political analyst emphasized that the e-levy is essential for the government to generate revenue and run its affairs effectively.
Dr. Asah-Asante argued that removing the levy entirely would be counterproductive, especially given the current economic challenges facing the country.
He stated, “Responding to the critics in an interview on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Dr. Asah-Asante reaffirmed his position on the levy, saying, “My views on e-levy are clear. So I was surprised that people were saying I was against e-levy when Akufo-Addo’s government was in office. I have said and I will repeat here that I will forever support e-levy because it is one of the hanging fruits of the government to raise revenue and run its affairs with.”
“My position has been that sometimes is that the tax burden on it will put people off so when we were discussing e-levy, the argument was that the government as saying 1.5% and there was a whole lot of noise. While some people were saying we should completely take it off, others were saying we should reduce and I was part of the school of thought that yes, the tax is good but if it can be made accessible so that everybody can pay, so I rooted for 1% and eventually it came to 1%.”
