Member of Parliament for Bibiani-Anwhiaso-Bekwai, Alfred Obeng-Boateng, has accused Ghanaians of betraying the Akufo-Addo-led government by halting the usage of Mobile Money (MoMo) transactions after the implementation of the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy).
He believes this has contributed to the government’s unfulfilled promise of constructing more roads this year.
His comments come on the back of claims by the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, that the government would have constructed more first-class roads if Ghanaians wholeheartedly accepted the implementation of the policy.
Backing that assertion, the Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Government Assurances Committee expressed worry over the development.
“In our country, we don’t have enough resources, and so the e-levy was a good policy that was going to develop our economy, but Ghanaians are not participating. Since the introduction of the policy, Ghanaians have stopped doing Momo. There has been a sharp decline in mobile money transactions, and that’s betraying the government.”
“People have also devised crook ways like using merchant numbers to escape the levy and it’s not helping situations. Because if we (citizens) patronized the use of Mobile Money transactions, the government would have generated the needed revenue for various developmental projects. So, it’s true, if government had gotten what was envisioned, things would have been different. At least if the e-levy was not going to solve our problems it could have done a lot for us,” he told the host of Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV’s morning show, Kwesi Parker-Wilson.
He also blamed the Minority in Parliament for polluting the minds of Ghanaians against the policy.
“Our opponents (the Minority) were smart enough to pollute the atmosphere and the minds of Ghanaians against the E-Levy that’s why we are not generating much revenue. However, I still believe that citizens must be encouraged to buy into that vision of government. I know that with consistent education and sensitization of the public, the government would realize the needed revenue for economic transformation.