Despite calls by some economists and civil society organisations for the E-Levy to be maintained due to the difficult financial situation the country finds itself, the Minister-designate for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has reiterated his resolve to remove it in his first budget statement.
According to him, the E-Levy could not be described as a direct or indirect tax and contributed little to the country's purse and economic growth.
Dr Forson gave the assurance in Accra yesterday in over three hours of grilling as the first of three Ministerial nominees of President John Dramani Mahama, and said the E-Levy was inimical to the agenda of government to promote a cashless economy and efforts to deepen financial inclusion. "E-Levy retards our progress to a cashless economy and my earlier commitment still stands.
The quality of the expenditure and its implementation must be geared towards protecting the vulnerable in society," he added.
