Transactions between Mobile Money (MoMo) agents and merchants are now being charged. Barely three months ago, MoMo operators threatened to go on strike over the imposition of double taxation by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on their work, yet the situation still prevails.
Patience, a MoMo vendor at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra, disclosed how her business has been affected by the imposition of an e-levy on both agent and merchant SIM cards by the Ghana Revenue Authority, GRA.
She, however, noted that her customers who migrated to using merchant SIM cards are now making transfers via their normal SIM cards because of the imposition of e-levy on the merchant/agent SIM card.
“Although most of my customers are back to doing businesses with me, I am feeling the pinch, having to make do with the charges,’’ Patience added.
‘’TELCOS and the GRA should scrutinise the processes involved in acquiring merchant SIM cards to reduce the tax burden on their businesses, Ibrahim Saddique’’, a MOMO vendor made an appeal, stating how frustrating it has become for most MoMo vendors to transact business with merchants.
“The e-levy charges are now a threat to my financial sustainability. This is the only business I do to cater for my family, yet my take home is not much because of the imposition of e-levy on most of our transactions,’’ Ibrahim intimated.
Baba Alhaji a MoMo merchant also lamented about the additional e-levy charges on both agent and merchant SIM cards. He said the 1 percent e-levy tax combined with the existing 10 percent income tax is unfair to the merchants.
“I lose customers daily and this has become a financial burden on me. Authorities should find a fair and equitable solution to solve this issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr. Ken Ashigbey, says the chamber plans to engage stakeholders on the issue to help resolve these challenges.
He mentioned that transactions between specified merchants and agents are not supposed to be charged, however the system may be compounded with numerous transactions which are channeled through one portal.
“All agents and merchants should verify if the registration with their Ghana cards in accordance with GRA’s requirements were properly done. I am therefore certain that these wrongful charges would be addressed soon,” he reiterated.
On the sidelines, the Mobile money advocacy Group, Ghana, is urging appropriate authorities to act swiftly to prevent the potential closure of shops of mobile money agents and merchants across the country.
By Akua Oforiwa Darko
