- More than three-fourths (79%) of Ghanaians favoured discontinuing the electronic transactions levy (e-levy) (Figure 1). o In contrast, strong majorities expressed support for the new government to continue several other initiative: free senior high school (85%); planting/rearing for food and jobs (81%); one district, one factory (71%); and one village, one dam (60%).
- Opposition to maintaining the e-levy was strong across key demographic groups, with particularly high resistance among men (83%), youth (83%), the poorest citizens (86%), and those with post-secondary education (87%) (Figure 2).
- In Afrobarometer’s 2022 survey, three-fourths (76%) of survey respondents said the e-levy was a bad idea because it would increase the tax burden on ordinary and poor citizens (Figure 3). Almost two-thirds (63%) “strongly agreed” with this view.
- A similar proportion were also “not very confident” (24%) or “not at all confident” (51%) that the government would fulfil its pledge to use the revenues generated by the e-levy to fund development programmes (Figure 4).
The government’s repeal of the electronic transaction levy (e-levy) on Wednesday fulfils one of the strong preferences that Ghanaians expressed ahead of the December 2024 election.
In Afrobarometer’s survey last August, about four out of five citizens expressed opposition to maintaining the fee on mobile money transactions. Both major political parties called for its repeal during the election campaign.
Since its introduction in May 2022, many Ghanaians had decried the e-levy as an excessive tax burden and expressed scepticism about the government’s ability to use the revenues effectively for development projects.
On Wednesday, President John Dramani Mahama officially signed into law the repeal of the e-levy, along with repeals of an emissions tax and a betting tax, following their removal from the new administration’s 2025 budget.
In contrast, survey findings show that Ghanaians continue to back several other key government initiatives, including the free senior high school programme.