Some nine members of Parliament were absent when the Electronic Transaction Levy commonly known as E-levy was passed Tuesday March 29, 2022 by Parliament.
Sarah Adwoa Safo was tbe only missing MP from the majority New Patriotic Party (NPP), while eight while National Democratic Congress (NDC) recorded eight absentees from the Minority side.
Per document sighted by DGN Online, names of the absentee MPs from the minority are Abdul Latif Dan, Ablekuma Central, Abdul Salam Adams, New Edubiase, Amankwa Nicholas, Amenfi East and Cletus Avoka Apul, Zebilla
The remaining were Boateng Joseh Appiah, Afram Plain South, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Techiman North, James Gyakye Quayson, Assin North, and Sakparu Adams Mohammad, Sissala West.
Parliament yesterday passed the e-levy tax legislation on electronic transactions, which is set to rope in more people into the tax net after a boycott by the Minority.
The Electronic Transfer Levy which was first pegged at 1.75% in the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government presented to the House in November last year, was passed at 1.5% with Speaker Alban S.K. Bagbin in the chair, after returning from a medical leave.
The NDC Minority had opposed to the bill, leading to a standoff that travelled for more than three months.
On December 21, 2021, an ugly scene occurred on the night in the chamber of Parliament, with MPs openly throwing punches when the E-Levy was being voted upon by MPs on whether it should be taken under a certificate of urgency or not.
Before the E-Levy Bill was brought to the House, the Finance Committee handled it at the committee level where they were also split on the bill, with 12 of the Majority NPP MPs endorsing the bill to be sent to the floor whilst another 12 NDC MPs said they were rejecting it.
As a result, the Chairman of Committee, Kwaku Agyemang Kwarteng, NPP MP for Obuasi West, had to break the tie by voting to make the Majority 13 as against the Minority’s 12.
Even though there were no ugly scenes in the House yesterday, the watershed bill was not passed without drama, with NDC MPs boycotting the proceedings at the eleventh hour upon seeing that it was short of the numbers needed to block the bill from going through, having participated fully in the debate.
However, Cletus Avoka denied he was absent from the chamber on that day.
“I was in the house yesterday, I came to parliament at 8:30am and we had NDC caucus meeting. After that we moved to the chamber because we knew that they are going to ambush us with e-levy so I was available. When I came I went to the chmaber’s office to sign my name as normal practice but when I got there they said that the attendance register was being circulated so they’ll bring it for me to sign but unfortunately they didn’t bring it to me at the right time and we walked out. So I was available,” Mr. Avoka told the media after the State Of The Nation Address.
BY Vincent Kubi