Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant, Hopeson Adorye, has challenged Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia to take steps to repeal the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) ahead of the 2024 polls.

Bawumia, the NPP flagbearer, promised in early February 2024 that he would repeal the E-Levy along with three other tax handles passed by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government if he becomes president after the polls.

Adorye explained that the government has used the E-Levy and other tax handles as collateral for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout that has since produced US$1.2 billion in two tranches.

“The promise by Bawumia to cancel the E-Levy is a lie, he is lying, and he will use it to delude Ghanaians, get their votes and abandon the promise,” Adorye said in an interview with Atinka TV.

“E-Levy and other taxes were guarantees that the government used to secure a three-year deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2024 to 2026. How can you then promise to cancel E-Levy in 2025?

“All taxes he has promised to repeal are all lies. Go and fetch the IMF agreement, these taxes were used as collateral, they can never touch it. So, if Bawumia claims to be a man of his own, let him repeal the taxes now, they can never do that,” he stressed.

The introduction of E-Levy in May 2022, according to the government formed part of measures to help improve its domestic revenue mobilization.

Following several criticisms, the E-Levy tax was reviewed downwards from 1.5% to 1%.

Data from the Ghana Revenue Authority shows that an amount of GH¢600million was collected in 2022.

In 2023, a total of GH¢1.2billion was raked in as revenue from the E-Levy.

LOL ???? Hopeson ADORYE exposed his own incompetent NPP party and Bawuliar Bawumia on E-Levy cancellation promise. He says Bawuliar can never cancel E-Levy ???? pic.twitter.com/KzrtXxN5zR

— Aristotlektv (@aristotledada) March 5, 2024