The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has charged Ghanaians to rally its support behind the Electronic-Levy (E-Levy) on mobile money transactions to help alleviate challenges imposed on the country by the COVID-19 disease.
According to the party, the pandemic which had immense negative effects on countries globally had made the country financially handicapped for which reason the country needed the E-Levy to resuscitate its economy.
Speaking at a presser in Accra yesterday, the party’s Director of Communications, Yaw Buaben Asamoa noted that the challenges presented by the pandemic made the E-Levy timely and relevant
He indicated that prices of goods and services would continue to rise as the prices of petroleum products continued to go up globally.
As such Mr Asamoa said “that’s why we are saying this is not the time to stand against the government initiative and policies because it is these policies that will help us in this pandemic era.”
“As it stands now, we don’t know when COVID-19 will be over but we must do all that we can to improve our finances and economy,” he added.
The NPP’s Director of Communications made it known that for the country to recover from its economic hardships, its finances had to improve, the government’s investments in businesses must improve as well as its expenditure and borrowing must reduce.
“This is what the government intends to do to help us and that is what it has done by introducing the E-Levy. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us negatively that is why the government needs every Ghanaian to contribute to the economic growth through the E-Levy,” he added.
Going to the International Monetary Fund and other countries for monetary assistance as suggested by the minority, he said would do the country no good.
He said it was for such reason the presser was held to help educate Ghanaians on the essence of the E-Levy, as it was for their good.
Mr Asamoa used the opportunity to urge journalists to communicate properly on the E-Levy and educate Ghanaians on the need to support the government.
“That is why we are charging you all journalists and media practitioners to take your time and educate Ghanaians on the E-Levy. What should we do to help ourselves without relying on anybody or an organisation? He quizzed.
BY ABIGAIL ARTHUR AND SAMUEL GYASI ODURO
