CEO of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana, Mr Anthony Morrison, in an interview indicated that the implementation of Electronic Levy (E-Levy) will limit the availability of food on the Ghanaian market across the country.
He cited that aside from the E-Levy creating jobs and boosting the country’s economy; it will affect the agric sector negatively since traders and farmers depend heavily on electronic transactions. He added that the E-levy will be unfavourable to the efforts made in the agricultural sector, especially in rural areas.
This move is going to prohibit the availability of food on the market since most food supply comes from rural areas. The passing of the E-levy will hinder people who stay in Accra from sending money to farmers through mobile money transactions to send them farm produce.
According to him, it was tough convincing farmers to accept mobile money as a mode of payment. Now that there is some form of tax payment on mobile money transactions, it will deter them from patronizing completely.
Ghana’s parliament approved a 1.5% tax on electronic payments, known as the “e-levy,”. The e-levy is expected to widen the tax net and help solve our financial woes. The tax would cover mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments, and inward remittances.