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Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has tasked citizens to demand accountability from government over the use of taxes.
According to him, even though the taxes that Ghanaians pay are not enough, it is good to honour that obligation and to demand that the revenue is put to good used by politicians.
He was commenting on the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) which is expected to be rolled out by government starting Sunday, May 1, 2022.
According to the clergyman, in the event that citizens realise that the government fails to put the tax handle to good use, they should inflict electoral punishment by voting out the government.
“Most Ghanaians are not ready to pay taxes. They want everything to be done for them. They say they do not see what the little tax they pay is used for. The tax we pay is too small. I wish that Ghanaians will not play politics with E-levy.
“One thing I will say is that, let’s try and see how it goes. If we try it, and it is used to develop Ghana, that’s fine. But if the money is taken, and they don’t develop Ghana, we vote them out,” he stressed.
Rev. Yeboah Mante was speaking on the sidelines of the maiden Moderators Academic Excellence Award and Founders’ Day Celebration at the Presbyterian Women’s College of Education in Aburi.
Background
The E-levy bill was passed on March 29 after the minority caucus staged a walkout – a move it said was to deny the majority group a voting quorum.
Two days after its passage, President Nana Akufo-Addo assented to it with the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, indicating that implementation will begin from May 1.
However, the Minority Caucus is in court challenging the passage of the E-levy bill.
It contends that government and its officials will be in contempt of court should they go ahead with its implementation on May 1 as they have sought an injunction on it.
