E-levy has failed to live up to government’s expectation – Gabby Otchere-Darko

A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Otchere-Darko, has disclosed that the Electronic Transactions Levy (e-levy) has generated less than ¢60 million, close to two months of its implementation.

He said the levy has failed to live up to the expectations of the government.

“What options are open to the government? The question should rather be: what option, if adopted, will re-inject investor confidence in our economy? Even if we find the $3-5 billion required, will that help? E-levy which was to have given us some 600m by now has done less than 60m,” he said in a tweet on Monday, June 27.

This particular tweet follows several others from him on whether the government should seek support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Although, Otchere-Darko said he is not against a move to the IMF, he is opposed to them offering “peanuts” to the country which comes with harsh conditions.

“I am not for an IMF program that throws peanuts at us but imposes conditions that will end up hurting the poor, jobs and businesses more. Covid-19 and War in Ukraine are not of Africa’s doing but more to our doom. A program that pretends it is all our doing is doomed to fail.”

“We do something that will inject confidence in our capacity to ride this heavy storm, and that something should happen pretty quickly. Are you against an IMF program?”