Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has strongly criticised the controversial e-levy, stating that it played a significant role in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse show on Thursday, March 20, she shared her reasons for opposing the levy, emphasising how it failed to serve its intended purpose and ultimately burdened ordinary Ghanaians.
“I didn’t vote for the e-levy, and I have no regrets about my decision,” she explained. “I refrained from supporting it because I believed it wouldn’t benefit the people of Ghana. Instead, it would take away from their already limited resources, especially the most vulnerable members of society.”
“Ghanaians voted against us partly because of the E-levy,” she said.
She also highlighted how the e-levy negatively impacted those in low-paying jobs, particularly people who relied on mobile money [MoMo] to send funds to their families in rural areas.
“Individuals who were most affected were those working in low-paying jobs, who relied on sending money back to their families in the villages. These individuals were already struggling, and the e-levy took away the little they had. It was a tax on their hard-earned money, further deepening their difficulties,” she added.
Adwoa Safo also pointed out the contradiction between the government’s promises and the reality.
“We were told that by introducing the e-levy, Ghana could avoid going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, in the end, we still ended up seeking IMF support. Despite implementing this tax, the government was unable to avoid the very financial assistance it promised we could manage without.”
Referring to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s 2024 election manifesto, in which he promised to remove the e-levy if elected, Adwoa Safo expressed a sense of vindication.
“I feel vindicated,” she said. “If the e-levy was truly a good tax, why did we still end up at the IMF? How can we justify taxing those who are already struggling, especially when it didn’t even prevent us from seeking IMF support?”.
Adwoa Safo concluded by reiterating that the e-levy failed to achieve its intended objectives and, instead, placed an additional burden on the very people it was meant to help.
“It just didn’t make sense,” she said. “The e-levy hurt ordinary Ghanaians, and in the end, it didn’t achieve what it promised.”
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