The opposition in Parliament has declared its plan to introduce a private member’s bill aimed at revoking the E-levy, emissions tax, and betting tax.
This decision follows the recent proposal by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party’s flagbearer, promising to abolish these taxes if elected in the 2024 elections.
With the E-levy, emissions tax, and betting tax sparking debates, the opposition seeks to tackle them through legislative means.
The private member’s bill aims to prompt the government to reassess these taxes, viewed as nuisance taxes.
In his closing statements regarding President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered in Parliament on Monday, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, underscored the significant strain these taxes impose on businesses in the nation.
Dr. Forson expressed optimism that the Majority faction in the House, which supported Dr. Bawumia’s proposal to eliminate the E-levy, would also rally behind 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.
