The President of the Ghana Union of Traders has argued that the implementation of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) will not collapse businesses as suggested by some critics.
Dr. Joseph Obeng says the levy will rather expand the tax net and bring into the net businesses operating online.
According to him, GUTA had since 2020 recommended to the government to consider broadening the tax net and include online businesses that did not pay tax like the traditional business operators.
He opined that businesses that operated online cheated the traditional business operators because they were not paying taxes.
The E-Levy he stressed would ensure parity and fairness in the business space.
Speaking to Kwabena Agyapong on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, he said the outbreak of the Covid-19 introduced a new norm which is online trading. Online trading is gradually taking over traditional businesses. People are now buying online and paying through MoMo and other forms of transactions. But online operators are not paying taxes like traditional business operators.
Our businesses were threatened and as traders, we have adopted this mode of business so the online business will not push us out of business”.
Dr. Obeng was however quick to add that GUTA was in talks with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to prevent double taxation of their members.
Meanwhile, he has refuted claims that traders are fleecing Ghanaians by increasing their goods astronomically.
The competition in the Ghanaian market he stated makes it difficult for any trader to increase their products without any reason.
Such comments he said only breed hatred against traders.
“It is not true that traders are profiteering. The competition in the market makes it impossible. If you will increase your products anyhow, you would be pushing yourself out of business. Let us kill that perception because we would be inciting the public against traders,” he said.
By: Rashid Obodai Provencal/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
