Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, has said that the decision to reduce the E-levy from the initial 1.5 per cent was based on a stakeholder engagement.

According to her, the Minority proposed a reduction to 1.0 in December 2021 and this was adhered to, therefore minority must approve accepted the new changes.

While debating the 2023 budget in parliament on November 29, she said, “Mr. Speaker, this one per cent was arrived at by continuous engagement with stakeholders and you (Minority) were in this house in December 2021 when the minority leader said it is better for us to reduce the E-Levy to one per cent. So, if today we are coming today with a measure that will reduce the E-Levy to one per cent, I think the E-Levy debate is closed and should be accepted.”

In reaction to this comment, the deputy minority leader, James Avedzi refuted Abena Osei's claim that the minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu proposed a reduction to 1.0 percent in 2021.

“the deputy finance minister made a statement which was factually incorrect, and I want to correct it. She said that we were all in this house when the minority leader made a proposal for the E-Levy to be brought to one per cent. Never on this floor did the minority leader make that proposal, so for that to go into the records, it should be corrected. He never made such a proposal on this floor,” James Avedzi stated in the chamber.

Deputy Minister of Finance again insisted that the Minority leader even repeated same comments in Ho over the weekend at the Post Budget workshop, adding that she never indicated that Haruna Iddrisu said anything of the sort in the chamber.

NYA/WA