Technical advisor at the Office of the Vice-President, Akbar Yussif Rohullah Khomeini, has clarified that the NPP presidential candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, promise to abolish E-Levy was never for crowd-pleasing purposes.

Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has firmly stated his intention to eliminate the electronic financial transactions tax, known as the E-Levy, if he assumes the presidency of Ghana.

Introduced in 2022, the E-Levy has stirred controversy. Prior to its implementation, Vice-President Bawumia had voiced his opposition to taxes on electronic financial transactions during an interview.

In his inaugural national address after securing the NPP presidential candidacy, Vice-President Bawumia left no room for ambiguity, affirming his stance against levies on electronic financial transactions and pledging to abolish the E-Levy if elected president.

During an appearance on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday, February 8th, Rohullah Khomeini reiterated that Bawumia has consistently argued that the E-Levy serves as a deterrent to financial inclusion.

“It is not for crowd-pleasing, these are ideas well thought through by the flagbearer of the NPP. There is that recognition that we have to confront the cost of living issue which every Ghanaian is concerned about…”

“And so, he believes that if we are determined to formalise our economy and transition from an informal way of doing things into the digital space, we must not have a tax system which will discourage people from wanting to participate in the digital space,” he said.