The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says he has instructed his lawyers to cite the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah for contempt over comments the latter has made to the effect that implementation of the E-levy will still take effect on May 1, 2022.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Ablakwa said such comments amount to a violation of the constitution since there is an injunction application filed in court to halt the implementation of the new law.
He said the posture of the GRA and government on the E-levy smacks of side-stepping the constitution in a way that puts the country on a dangerous slope of chaos and anarchy.
“I heard the GRA Commissioner and I have instructed my lawyers to cite him for contempt. He said he was going ahead with implementation of the E-levy. People must be careful, we are operating a constitutional democracy. All of us including the president are under the rule of law. It is in the interest of those in power to make sure that they walk the narrow path of constitutional order. If they start setting such bad examples, practicing impunity and engaging in contempt of court, when things get out of hand, we cannot guarantee what will happen,” he warned.
Mr. Ablakwa is among the Minority MPs who have gone to the Supreme Court to challenge the passage of the 1.5% E-levy and subsequently filed an injunction application to halt it until a final determination of the substantive matter.
The Minority MPs among other things said Parliament did not meet the constitutional threshold of a quorum for the the passage of the E-levy.
The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei – Mensah-Bonsu while reacting to news of the Minority’s legal actions against the new tax said their actions would be an exercise in futility.
But Mr. Ablakwa who says he takes strong exceptions to the comment by the Majority Leader said he and the Minority caucus will stop at nothing to stop the implementation of the E-levy..
He said Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s comments suggests that some underhand dealings have taken place to deal injustice to Ghanaians.
“Our constitution calls on us to rise up and defend the constitution. So if you know there is an injunction and you decide that because you are commissioner or government official you will go ahead, I can also decide to mobilize people to stop you from violating the constitution. Let us send a clear message to these people who want to destroy our constitutional democracy. They don’t have monopoly over this unethical tactics,” he said.