Hello everyone,
Perhaps the most obvious thing to talk about in this country is just one, the newly introduced e-levy. This is the electronic taxation of all transactions that are made in the country. Basically, if you are going to send money. You are going to pay a tax for sending it.
Personally, I think it makes no sense whatsoever. How do you expect me to understand payment of taxes on money just because I want to spend it? It is simply absurd.
For a clearer picture, I will provide this scenario. Say you have received your monthly income of 1,000 cedis from the bank at the end of the month on which you pay a 50 cedis government issued tax on. Your net income is now 950 cedis sitting in your account.
Since most people prefer the mobile money payment option due to its convenience, you will most likely send the funds to your mobile wallet on which you will pay an additional 1.5% tax and a 0.75% telco charge.
Then if you are to send money to your relative or kids living in other parts of the country, you are still going to pay this levy. Should your kids also try to make transactions inevitably, they will sure be charged too.
At the end of the day, you will be paying multiple charges to the same government that charged you initially on your salary.
The real question we should ask ourselves is that what does the government do with the taxes they charged us initially? Did they even make judicious use of it?
All we hear in reports are doctored figures and values and various ghost projects.
If we are going to really advance as a country, then accountability and transparency should be key. Our leaders feel so immune to the consequences of their actions since they control the narrative.
We really need serious changes in order to develop otherwise we will not be heading anyway anytime soon.