Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Ken Ashigbey, has emphasised that the Electronic Transactions Levy (e-levy) will affect salaries that are paid through Mobile Money.
He indicated that once the transaction is being authorised from a mobile money account, the tax will apply.
He explained that this is because the law, as it is currently, does not differentiate between ordinary accounts and corporate accounts.
“Unfortunately, the law is structured in a way that, salaries paid through Momo would attract the levy because there is no differentiation from corporate Mobile Money accounts to a person and so if a corporate entity is paying its employees through their bank account, it would not attract e-levy but if it’s directly from Mobile Money to your account, it will affect or even if it’s from a bank to your mobile money account, it will attract the tax,” he stated.
His comment was part of reactions to concerns raised on Joy FM following the implementation of the levy on May 1, 2022.
He noted, however, that engagements are being held with the policymakers for a review of the law.
“It’s one of the conversations that we are having with the policymakers. We have to engage the Minister and look at that, because it’s one of the ways that we fund wallets, because we need to get the money on to the wallet and once you start taxing it then you stand the risk of people moving it- either paying tax or moving it to the bank” which is likely to derail the digitisation drive.
Transfers that will be affected include
- Mobile money transfers done between accounts on the same Electronic Money Issuer.
- Mobile money transfer to a receiver on another Electronic Money Issuer [Interoperability transfer]
- Transfer from a bank account to [another person’s] mobile money account.
- From a mobile money account to [another person’s] bank account.
- Bank transfers on an instant paid digital platform.
Electronic transactions that will not come with a 1.5% tax rate
- A cumulative transfer of ¢100 made by the same person.
- A transfer between accounts owned by the same person.
- Transfers for the payment of taxes, fees and charges on the Ghana.gov platform
- Electronic clearing of cheques
- Specified merchant payments (that is, payments to commercial establishments registered with the GRA for income tax and VAT purposes)
- Transfers between principal, master agent, and agent’s accounts.
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