<<Print>>

A Senior Research Fellow of the Kumasi Technical University, Dr. Smart Sarpong, has responded to former President John Dramani Mahama's assurance to cancel the E-Levy when elected President in 2025.

According to the Ex-President, "a new National Democratic Congress government, God willing and with the votes of the sovereign people of Ghana – in 2025 – will repeal the E-Levy Act. Even as this government remains fixated with taxing their way out of economic mismanagement, the Akufo-Addo government has been wasteful".

"They have failed to demonstrate prudence in public financial management. The people of Ghana cannot be called upon to pay more taxes only for the accruing money belonging to the people of Ghana, to be dubiously and wastefully shared among family and friends through various fraudulent procurement practices", Mr. Mahama said while delivering a public lecture at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra on Monday, May 2.

But Dr. Smart Sarpong is of a strong belief that Mr. Mahama will not be helping himself if he repeals the E-Levy.

He wondered how the Ex-President would govern the nation without the E-Levy should he become the next President.

" . . what would he do to govern the nation? Go to IMF?", he questioned.

To him, Mr. Mahama "doesn't mean it. In fact, I say he doesn't mean it because it is not even in his interest to make that suggestion . . . I don't believe not because of anything but I think if he wants to be President and govern the country well to benefit Ghanaians, he will need the E-Levy. So, it will not even be in his interest to cancel it".

Dr. Sarpong reiterated; "It won't help him. If it's true he will cancel it when he comes into power, it will not be in his own interest."

In his concluding remarks, he called on the populace to fully support the E-Levy stating, "let's do what we can do. We should all get involved in it and ask the government to be frequent with its accountability".

He made these submissions on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo".