The Deputy Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Isaac Adongo has taken a swipe at the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta over the controversial e-levy proposed by the government.

According to him, the recent comment by the Minister that the government is engaging stakeholders on the tax to arrive at a decision on the levy is a mere political tactic with no actual intention to scrap or reduce the tax as being called for by many Ghanaians.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, he said the Minister is engaging in ‘hide-and-seek’ on the matter and does not need the Minority in Parliament before it takes a decision favourable to Ghanaians.

“Beyond the Minority, what does he have for the good people of Ghana? The country is not split into Minority and Majority. You don’t need the Minority before determining what is appropriate for the people of Ghana,” he said, noting that the government must listen to the concerns of Ghanaians and address them without deferring them to consultations with the Minority.

Ken Ofori-Atta on Monday told the media that the government will continue engagements with the Minority in Parliament and other stakeholders to get the proposed e-levy approved.

“Having regard to its serious fiscal implications, we will continue our consultation with the Minority caucus in Parliament and other relevant stakeholders with the view to achieving consensus and reverting to the house in the shortest possible time,” the Minister stressed.

He also emphasized that the government will ensure that no one evades the payment of the tax.

But Adongo, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central in the Upper East Region, said he is not convinced that the government would change its position on the planned introduction of the 1.75% E-levy.

He further accused Ofori-Atta of being disingenuous on the matter and causing a decline in the quality of democracy in Ghana.

“Clearly they don’t’ want to move an inch from the e-levy. The Minister for Finance should be telling the people of Ghana what they have on the table. This hide-and-seek is an affront to democracy and an insult to Ghanaians. Don’t’ hide behind so-called negotiation. If it would have yielded any fruit, after two weeks you should have had results,” he said.

“Clearly this is a man that is not being honest with us. And it is eroding everything that we have stood for as a democracy and I always say that Ken Ofori-Atta was the biggest pandemic from 2017 before we even got to know that there will be anything like COVID-19,” Isaac Adongo further indicated.