Tema, May 23, GNA –The Tema Metropolitan Office of the Information Services Department (ISD) is on an outreach programme to sensitise local communities on the Electronic Levy (e-levy) to demystify some negative perceptions being speculated about the levy.
The ISD Tema Directorate, as part of the new mandate, entered Tema Community One Site 20 to engage with residents and explain the concept of E-Levy, the benefits to the country, and rationale for its introduction.
Staff of the ISD have been tasked to devote time and resources to educate the public on the importance of the e-levy introduced by the government for national development.
Ms. Doris Gorman, ISD Tema Metropolitan Director speaking to the residents through the Community Information Centre in the area, said the Government found it expedient to properly sensitize the public on the tenets of the E-levy as many people had misconceptions about it.
Ms. Gorman said such misinformation and misconceptions on the implementation of the E-levy, which commenced on May 01, 2022, could defeat its intended purpose since many were skeptical.
“Therefore, there’s need for everyone to get the appropriate knowledge on it to make the implementation smooth,” Gorman said.
She explained that sending mobile money from one wallet to a different wallet both on the same network and different networks would attract 1.5 percent, adding however that sending money between two numbers of the same person with the same network does not attract.
She added that withdrawals from your Momo account, and buying power or paying for utilities using utility service providers’ mobile applications would also not warrant any deductions for e-levy.
She said payment of goods and services through merchant lines would not attract e-levy when the operators gives the customers the code from the GRA.
Ms. Gorman said the sensitization would be done through the three community information centres in the metropolis located in Tema Communities Nine, One, and Seven, adding that information officers would also visit the markets, transport stations, mosques, and churches to educate them on E-Levy.
She added that identifiable groups would also be engaged, additionally, ISD Information Vans would drive through the communities playing E-Levy Educational Jingles as part of the sensitization.
She said to be able to reach everyone with the information, the education would be conducted in English, Twi, Ga, Hausa and Ewe due to the multi-lingual nature of the harbour cum industrial city.
Ms. Gorman said the mobile money agents have received the requisite training and were expected to do the right thing to ensure that Ghana got the needed revenue from the E-levy for developmental projects.