The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has disclosed that some mobile money users who were affected by wrongful deductions after the electronic transactions took effect in May have been reimbursed.
According to the Head of Project Management Unit at the Ghana Revenue Authority, Isaac Kobina Amoako, information available to them indicates that 120,000 mobile money users from a single charging entity have had their monies restored.
Read also – E-levy: GRA makes over ¢1m from just one charging entity in a day
The 1.5% charge on all electronic transactions, which took effect on Sunday, May 1, faced some criticisms as some customers complained of wrongful deductions.
The rate is expected to apply to electronic transactions that are more than GH¢100 daily but customers have reported of deductions in transactions less than GHc100.
But addressing the media on the sidelines of a sensitization exercise by the GRA for some trade associations in Accra on the E-levy Mr. Amoako revealed that “the data we had for those who had a refund on 1st of May from one particular charging entity was around 120,000 customers whose monies have been refunded for 1st of May. I do not have the statistics for the other charging entities and for the other days that the reversal has been made. We’ve met Mobile Money Association, and we’ve seen that the transfers have stabilized.”
The Head of Project Management also said that confidence in the mobile money sector is gradually returning.
“People are now gaining confidence that when they transact with the vendors, cash is not affected by the e-levy. Cash-out is also not affected by e-levy and with the provision for also online businesses where they are being protected so that when you are purchasing online you don’t have to pay e-levy.”
Some users resorted to panic withdrawals after the e-levy bill was passed into law and assented to by President Akufo-Addo.
Subsequently, some momo users, including Jessica Opare Safo and Lydia Forson, also lamented the high charges on transactions.
Jessica Opare Safo for instance tweeted that “sent 500ghc using my bank app to someone this morning. I was charged Ghc 13.50 for the transaction. WTF! Hmmm.”
Miss Forson also tweeted that “Bought electricity yesterday and went through the same, paid Gh 7 to the platform charge ( using the app) and GH 9 in Elevy. Then a deduction of GH 7 for the electrify I paid for. So GH 23 for getting light. It might not be anything to some, but ALOT to me.”
