The Baptist Ministers Conference has recommended to the government to constitute a non-partisan independent body to monitor proceeds of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) to ensure prudent management of its use.
“The government must initiate a separate fund allocated for the levy by setting up a non-partisan group to monitor revenue accruing from its implementation to ensure probity, transparency and accountability,” it noted.
The convention cautioned against saving revenues generated from the levy in the Consolidated Fund.
Reverend Dr Charles Ampofo, the President of the Ghana Baptist Convention, stated that the E-Levy bill had been passed into law with implementation expected to kick-in from May 2022 and the proceeds from the levy should be strictly monitored to ensure effective and efficient use so as to accelerate socioeconomic development of the country.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 59th Annual Refresher Course, Retreat and Business of the Baptist Ministers Conference on the theme: ‘Called to Serve, Called to Send’, he indicated that “Revenue should not be kept in the consolidated fund, we recommend a separate fund be created for the E-Levy and a non-partisan independent body be set up to monitor revenue that will accrue for the citizenry to realise taxes paid are prudently managed.
Rev. Dr Ampofo stressed the need for the government to ensure probity, accountability and transparency in the use of taxes for citizens to repose trust and confidence that their taxes were used in the transformation of their lives and livelihoods.
Rev. Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, the Chairman of the National Peace Council, revealed that the Council was putting in mechanisms to curb chieftaincy disputes and land litigation causing mayhem in some regions and had engaged some traditional authorities, elders and opinion leaders to find an amicable solution to the menace.
“Our attention has been drawn to some chieftaincy disputes and land litigation happening in some regions and we have put in mechanisms to engage some traditional authorities, elders and opinion leaders in some communities which has caused tension, uneasy calm and stalled development in such communities,” he intimated. -GNA
