Minority Members of Parliament staged a walk-out before the Electronic transfer Levy (E-Levy) Bill 2021 was passed on Tuesday (March 29, 2022) afternoon.
The Minority had complained that it had been taken by surprise by the consideration of the levy given that it was not listed in Parliament’s business statement for the week.
The Bill which was considered under a certificate of urgency was adopted at a reduced rate of 1.5% from the proposed 1.75%.
Walkout
The Minority MPs had walked out of Parliament before the second reading of the Bill after debating it.
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As a result, proposed amendments in the name of some Minority MPs were removed because none of them was present to move the amendments in their name.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, stated that he was surprised by the walkout of the Minority. He, however, indicated that it would not affect the course of proceedings.
Background
The Government of Ghana proposes to impose a 1.75% tax on all a variety of electronic transactions, including mobile money transfers exceeding GH¢100.
Minority Members of Parliament vowed to vote against the levy, while mobile money agents, who also oppose the levy, have planned to embark on a demonstration and suspend their services in protest against moves by Government to proceed with implementation.