Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem has announced that President John Mahama is expected to sign the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) repeal bill by Thursday, March 27.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Wednesday, March 26, Ampem explained that although Parliament has already passed the bill, it has not yet been sent to the President for approval.
“Parliament is still in session, and I doubt the Clerk has been able to transmit the bill to the President yet. There are other bills under consideration, so if they manage to do so, it will likely happen tomorrow or the day after,” he said.
He reassured Ghanaians that once the President signs the bill, the Finance Ministry will immediately instruct the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to stop collecting the E-Levy.
“I understand the President may be out of town tomorrow, but assuming all goes as planned, he will sign the bill by Wednesday. Once that happens, the Finance Ministry will direct the GRA to halt the collection of the E-Levy, and this will be done promptly.”
Ampem also mentioned that the GRA is already prepared for the transition, and the implementation will proceed quickly after the President’s approval.
“My discussions with the Commissioner General indicate that as soon as the President signs, they will take immediate action to comply,” he added.
The repeal of the E-Levy has been widely celebrated by Ghanaians, who had strongly opposed the tax.
Introduced in 2022 by the previous New Patriotic Party administration, the E-Levy imposed a 1.5% tax on electronic transactions, such as mobile money transfers, bank transfers, and online payments.
When asked about the timeline for the full repeal of the E-Levy, Ampem expressed confidence that it would take effect before the end of March. “I’m sure it will be in effect before next week Friday,” he concluded.
