Ghana: Parliament passes controversial tax on mobile payments
Each Ghanaian who sends an amount in digital money greater than 100 cedi, or about 12 euros, will have to pay a tax of 1.5% on the amount.
(illustrative image) Reuters/Mike Hutchings
Text by: RFI Follow
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After several months of heated debate and protest from the opposition, the Ghanaian Parliament has just adopted a measure establishing a 1.5% tax on digital payments and money transfers.
This new tax should bring approximately the equivalent of one billion dollars into the coffers of the Ghanaian state each year.
But while inflation is galloping and the country is struggling to emerge from the post-pandemic crisis, this tax is not unanimous.
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77% of Ghanaians are against it.
The opposition fought against her for four months, even refusing to take part in the vote on Tuesday.
However, the law introducing a tax on mobile payments and money transfers ended up being adopted, to the great satisfaction of the Minister of Finance.
For Ken Ofori Atta, in fact, this tax will make it possible to reduce the Ghanaian public debt without having to resort to the programs of the International Monetary Fund.
Concretely, each Ghanaian who sends an amount in digital money greater than 100 cedi, or about 12 euros, will have to pay a tax of 1.5% on the amount.
The receiver pays nothing.
Except when it comes to money transfers from abroad.
This type of tax on Mobile Money already exists in Nigeria and Uganda for example.
In this country, the United Nations has calculated that it has reduced mobile payments.
38% of Ugandans claiming to limit their money transfers to avoid paying the tax.
In Ghana, the measure is all the worse since the currency has lost 20% of its value against the dollar in one year, and inflation has reached 15% on an annual basis.
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