The Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has revealed the Cleaners in the Parliament of Ghana earn about GHc400 per month.
Speaking on Metro TV’s current affairs programme – Inside Page said he wonders why the Communication Minister Ursula Owusu could erroneously say those who can send GHc100 via Mobile Money or electronic bank transfers are not poor to justify the government’s decision to impose 1.75% levy on every electronic transaction above 100GHc.
Explaining why the Communication Minister’s conclusion was wrong, he drew the analogy “in the event that a relative of any of the cleaners suffer ill-health and require GH¢200 to receive medical care, that cleaner would still have to pay a levy on that amount.”
“I interacted with the cleaners at Parliament to know how much they are paid monthly and the lady said they pay them GH¢400. Such a lady, the mother is sick in the village and they need GH¢200 to get her medicine or take her to the hospital. The lady out of the GH¢400 she is paid, decides to send GH¢200 to the mother. According to Ursula Owusu’s logic, that lady can’t say to be poor,” he said.
He emphasized the stance of the minority caucus to reject the E-levy even if the percentage charge is reduced to the barest minimum.
“The appropriation was passed and it is left with the e-levy. Our position is that we are not going to accept e-levy in any shape or form.”