The Mobile Money Agent Association of Ghana has vowed to resist the government’s Electronic Transaction Tax (E-levy) in any form.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, the Secretary of the Association, Evan Otumfuo, said they are not in any way against the payment of taxes.
However, the e-levy will be an affront to the digitalisation agenda and will put a lot of them out of business as customers may decide not to patronise their services again.
“We get our monies on a commission basis, so if you don’t work, you won’t get anything. The mobile money service is now, directly and indirectly, controlling the space and our partners who are the telcos are already paying corporate taxes likewise the agents,” he explained.
He said if there had been broader consultations between them and the government, they would have given better options that would generate revenue.
Mr Otumfuo further called on the government to provide subsidies or intervention packages for them instead of burdening them with another tax.
He argued since the inception of MOMO, it has created more jobs and so this tax directive will rather create unemployment and see their business dwindling as consumers will stop using MOMO.
The government has proposed to impose a 1.75 per cent levy on mobile money and other electronic transactions that exceed GH¢100 per day.
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The proposal is part of efforts by the government to raise revenue to prosecute its development agenda and was contained in the 2022 budget presented by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
He said when effective, the levy will not affect people whose monthly transactions totalled GH¢3,000.
Meanwhile, the group has threatened to embark on an industrial strike on Thursday, December 23, 2021, over the e-levy despite assurances from telcos to cut momo charges by 25%.