Gov’t is cutting cost while seeking to raise domestic revenue – Egyapa Mercer

Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has justified the introduction of the E-levy policy proposal in the 2022 budget statement.

He said on the New Day show on TV3 with host Berla Mundi on Wednesday January 26 that the the outbreak of the coronavirus has impacted negatively on Ghana’s economy and all economies around world.

To that end, he said, countries are finding ways to come out of the pandemic.

Mr Egyapa Mercer who is a Deputy Minister of Energy indicated that Ghana is also seeking to raise revenue without borrowing, through the E-levy and other measures such as cutting cost.

He referred to the decion by the government of Ghana to suspended 20 percent expenditure in the 2022 budget as announced by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, as one of the ways to raise revenue domestically while the government hopes that the E-levy would be passed by Parliament.

“Covid is real, indeed one of the options that are available to us contracting more debts. Yes, I agree, by all means close the loopholes which government through the digitalization agenda is pursing, it is not an event, it is a process , it is ongoing,” he said.

Regarding cutting expenditure, he said “Of course the finance Minister had indicated that because of the preocular nature nature that we find ourselves in automatic slashing 20 per cent in all sectors. the budget that was presented for approval government has indicated it is going to slash 20 per cent d its impact on the economies of the world is real.”