Alexander Afenyo-Markin speaking to the media
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration of hypocrisy and double standards over what he described as the reintroduction of the controversial electronic transaction levy through indirect means.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament earlier today, Mr. Afenyo-Markin alleged that the government had covertly imposed new charges on mobile money and wallet-to-bank transactions after campaigning strongly against the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s E-Levy policy while in opposition.
According to him, the NDC government initially gained public praise after repealing the E-Levy upon assuming office in 2025, only to later introduce what he termed the “Dumsor Levy” under the Energy Sector Reform Levy, which imposes an additional GH¢1 charge per litre of fuel purchased at the pump.
“The NDC government, through the back door, has reintroduced the E-Levy,” he stated.
The Minority Leader further disclosed that a recent notice indicated that from June 1, 2026, direct wallet-to-bank transactions would attract a 0.75 per cent charge, a move he said contradicted the NDC’s earlier opposition to taxes on mobile money transactions.
He criticised the government for allegedly using the Bank of Ghana and a fintech platform to implement the charges without parliamentary approval.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin argued that unlike the previous E-Levy introduced by the Akufo-Addo administration through the national budget and parliamentary processes, the current arrangement bypassed Parliament entirely.
He called on the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, to appear before Parliament on Thursday to explain the circumstances surrounding the proposed charges.
“We are not interested in the suspension; we are interested in how, but for public outcry, they were going to spring this surprise on Ghanaians,” he said.
The Minority Leader also used the press conference to criticise the government’s broader economic and social policies, accusing it of failing to fulfil several campaign promises.
He claimed that the government had failed to implement its “one job, three shifts” policy and had not delivered on promises to cocoa farmers, rice farmers and young people seeking employment.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin further said electricity tariffs had increased by nearly 30 percent and water tariffs by 19 percent within the government’s first one and a half years in office, while “dumsor” had returned.
He also criticised the recruitment processes into the security services, claiming that although only about 5,000 recruits could be accommodated under the government’s budget, forms had been sold to hundreds of thousands of applicants.
On youth unemployment, he accused the government of dismissing lawfully employed workers after assuming office, thereby worsening unemployment.
The Minority Leader additionally questioned the status of the NDC’s promised Women’s Bank initiative, saying the proposed bank and loan support for women had yet to materialise.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin described the NDC administration as “a government of propaganda” that “says one thing and does another.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House
