George Ofori, President of the Ghana Union of Traders (GUTA), has asked government to remove the new tax imposed on mobile money transfer.

He said the introduction of the additional tax on mobile money transfer makes it compulsory for both the sender and the receiver of the money to pay money which does not augur well for the citizenry.

Currently, anyone who sends money through mobile money transfer pays a certain amount which varies depending on the amount of money being transferred, and the withdrawer also pays.

Speaking at a recent press conference in Accra on the theme, ‘Difficulties in doing business in Ghana,’ Mr Ofori said, “This tax is very unfair and should be scrapped, because the telecom companies pay taxes on both registration fees, as well as the commission they take from their clients aside the talk tax that the government takes.

“Why should the government again tax clients? Why should the government expect the aged, school children, apprentices and the unemployed to pay tax when in actual fact they are not working and not supposed to pay,” he quizzed.

Mr. Ofori called on government to scrap the transfer tax to ease the pressure on citizens, who are already overburdened with numerous taxes.

Unhappy With Parliament

He expressed disappointment in the Members of Parliament (MP) for passing bills without due consultation with stakeholders.

“The MPs cannot escape blame for helping the executive arm of government to worsen the plight of Ghanaians. We cannot hide our total disappointment in our MPs who are supposed to represent our interest in the legislature.

“What we have observed is that they are always very quick at passing any bill that is brought before them by cabinet without due consultation with stakeholders, especially those in the private sector for insight into the practical aspect of the policy implementation on the ground to enable them to make an informed decision in the best interest of the nation,” Mr. Ofori said.

He urged parliamentarians to examine issues thoroughly and consult stakeholders properly before passing any bill brought before them.