In order for the government to raise the needed revenue to solve the problems facing the country at the moment, Ghanaians must be willing to accept the E-levy, a former Rector at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Stephen Adei,has said.
He said if Ghanaians do not accept the E-levy, they will pay it indirectly through other forms.
Prof Adei said this while speaking on the decision by the President to cut salaries of his appointees by up to 30 per cent and also the Council of State members reducing their allowances by 20 per cent until the end of the year.
He told journalists on the sidelines of a special convocation to confer honorary doctorate degrees on four eminent Ghanaians at GIMPA on Wednesday March 23 that “Two weeks ago, I said that the executive, parliament should cut their emoluments by 25 per cent. Let us get it right, even if they do , it is a small amount, it is not going to save us from this situation but it is a leadership example.
“You are sending the message to the people that we are in difficulty, people are suffering and we want to suffer with you. So that hopefully, in a year or a year and a half, we will all come out
“So don’t let anybody think that when they cut these salaries then the problem is solved all together because we are talking about half a billion when we need billions.”
The former Board Chair of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) further said “I expect [the President] to find ways of cutting expenditure, increase revenue, cutting off the size in the government,
“I think that even though all of you don’t like it, I think that we should go for the E-levy, it is a tax which we need now to save Ghana from its current situation. The reason is that there are very limited avenue in the short-term to raise revenue. If you and I don’t support the government at this stage we will pay it through the other way – falling Cedi, rising inflation. So people don’t realize when they say they wont pay the E-levy, you will end up paying.
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