Ningo Prampram MP Samuel Nartey George has said that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will issue a fitting response to the address given by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
From his initial reaction to the speech, Sam George said that the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) seemed confused or was intentionally misleading the Ghanaian people.
He stated that this was not a new development, but a continuation of the horror movie that Ghanaians have been witnessing since 2017. Sam George further wrote that they would respond appropriately on their platform.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in his address on Wednesday, February 7, stated that he would get rid of the e-levy, the tax imposed on electronic financial transactions if elected as the President of Ghana.
In 2022, a controversial tax was introduced on electronic financial transactions. Prior to its introduction, Vice President Bawumia had expressed his opposition to such levies in an interview.
In his first major address to the nation as the NPP flagbearer, Dr Bawumia reaffirmed his stance against the e-levy and declared that he would abolish it if he became President.
He emphasized that this move would help to boost efforts towards a cashless and digital Ghana.
He further stated that his administration would not impose taxes on digital payments to encourage more people to use electronic channels of payment. Additionally, Dr. Bawumia announced that his government would abolish the emission tax, tax on betting, and the proposed 15% VAT on electricity tariffs, if it was still in existence by January 2025, as part of a new tax regime.
He also announced that his government would introduce what he described as a friendly, flat tax regime for Ghana, which will boost individuals and businesses, particularly small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
“My administration will introduce a very simple, citizen and business-friendly flat tax regime. A flat tax of a percentage of income for individuals and SMEs, which constitute 98% of all businesses in Ghana, with appropriate exemption thresholds set to protect the poor,” Dr Bawumia indicated.
