The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) counting chickens before the e-levy eggs would hatch has asked banks to prepare to dive into accounts of Ghanaians to extract the disagreeable 1.75% tax whenever they attempt any electronic transaction.
By the close of January, the Authority was so sure the levy would be approved that it wrote to banks around the country to prepare for the implementation of the obnoxious tax in three phases.
“As you may be aware the Electronic Transfer Levy Bill is under consideration by Parliament. While we await the passage of the Bill Into Law, I wish to inform you to hold yourself in readiness for the implementation of the levy in three (3) phases as soon as the Bill is passed into law,” Amishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Commissioner General wrote to Managers of all Commercial Banks on 31st January.
“The GRA is currently developing a monitoring platform for the full implementation of the e-levy and would be inviting you to collaborate with its technical team in this respect,” the GRA further wrote.
The GRA was of the expectation that the Bill would have been passed within days but in February, the Bill is still pending passage because the Minority in parliament has stiffly opposed it.
If passed, the Bill will give the government the right to enter people’s bank accounts and tax savings; that is anytime they choose to transfer money.
Many have described the tax as pick-pocketing by the government which is stewed in corruption scandals.