Workers who receive their salaries through mobile money platforms may have to pay charges under the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), according to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The Authority explained that the structure of the newly passed E-Levy law means that certain mobile money transactions, including salary payments transferred through mobile money platforms, could be subject to the tax.
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The GRA is expected to begin implementing the levy from May 1 following the passage of the Electronic Transfer Levy Act.
Isaac Kobina Amoako, Principal Revenue Officer and Head of the Project Management Unit at the GRA, said salaries transferred from bank accounts to mobile money wallets would attract the 1.50 per cent levy.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Probe, he explained that the current law does not differentiate between corporate and individual mobile money accounts, making some business-related transactions liable to the charge.
“For the banks, disbursements from corporate accounts were not mentioned, so it is clear that that one is exempt. But in the MoMo, there was no distinction between the corporate MoMo account and the individual MoMo account,” he said.
Mr Amoako added that the levy could also affect other transactions, including loan disbursements through mobile money platforms.
He noted that the concerns raised by stakeholders had come to the attention of the GRA and would be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for consideration.
The E-Levy, which was introduced in the 2022 Budget, imposes a 1.50 per cent charge on electronic transfers above the exempt threshold, including certain mobile money and digital payment transactions.
