We’ll vehemently oppose e-levy & campaign like Jahovah witnesses- NDC

As Ghana’s Parliament reconvenes Tuesday 25 January 2022, controversial E-levy and LGBTQ+ bills are high on agenda of the lawmaking house.

The debates to get the E-levy Bill passed resulted in chaotic scenes in the floor after Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei-Owusu attempted to bend the rules in order to vote.

Speaking at a town-hall meeting at Kumasi in Ashanti Region on MONDAY 24 January 2022 monitored by African Editors, Former Tourism Minister Lawyer Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare said “We’ll vehemently oppose the e-levy. I can assure you that the 137 NDC MPs will vote against the e-levy. We don’t think that tax should be imposed on movement of cash because an individual decides to keep his or money in mobile money wallets”.

Speaking ahead of parliament’s sitting on Tuesday Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak said “It is the view of the minority that LGBTQ+ Bill will be prioritised to fast track passage into law. On the e-levy, we have said will not do anything to obstruct government business”.

In similar development, CPP’s Akosua Frimpomaa says ” government’s proposed e-levy is inevitable but agreed the 1.75 rate is too high”.

Contributing to the debate, former Deputy Power Minister, Ranking Member for the Mines and Energy Committee in Parliament, John Abdulai Jinapor has stated that the government is on a deceptive agenda on the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy (E-levy).

According to him, the government and the Majority in Parliament have failed to engage anybody in Parliament and yet wants to get its policies and programs through.

“For almost a month now the Majority in Parliament has not engaged anybody in Parliament. All that the NPP Majority in Parliament has been engaged in is consistent press conferences. How can you bring consensus alone? The NPP alone cannot be the only source of knowledge. At least if not anything the abysmal record of the NPP tells you that the NPP cannot know everything in this world. So they should listen,” John Jinapor advised.

Meanwhile, National Chairman of NDC Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo has reiterated that his party will engage in gross house-to-house campaigning like the Jehovah Witnesses ahead of the 2024 polls.

He charged members of the NDC in the Ashanti Region to lead this campaign.

Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo was speaking on Monday, January 24 at a townhall meeting organised by his party in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region capital.

Source: africaneditors.com