Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has rebutted former finance minister, Amin Adam’s claims that the past government did not implement the betting tax policy.
Following Dr. Ato Forson’s 2025 budget presentation in parliament on March 11, the minority in parliament organised a press briefing to address some issues concerning the budget. According to former finance minister, Amin Adam, who led the press briefing, the erstwhile NPP government did not implement the betting tax policy, which the current minister for finance is now saying he wants to abolish. To that effect, Amin stressed that the previous government did not collect any tax on bet earnings.
“Betting tax that they said they have abolished, we never collected Betting Tax. So to come and tell Ghanaians that you have abolished something that you have not implemented, is to deceive the people of Ghana,” he said.
The comment has sparked outrage on social media, with a portion of the youth decrying the fiscal challenge they have had to suffer as a result of the implementation of the tax on bet earnings since 2024.
In response to the claims, the current finance minister, Dr. Ato Forson has stated that his checks reveal that the government has collected over 80 million cedis from betting tax. According to him, the facts do not support Amin Adam’s assertions.
“I don’t think he’s on top of that matter, because my checks reveal that it was implemented in the second half of 2024. And my checks also reveal that to date government of Ghana has collected over 80 million Ghana cedis from betting tax, so I don’t know what he’s talking about. It is not the fact. The fact on the ground does not support his assertion. Clearly, the betting tax was implemented,” he said in an interview with JoyNews.
The betting tax, together with other tax components became a central concern for the youth during election campaigns, with even the then flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) promising to revoke such taxes when elected.
“We will fast-track Ghana’s transformation into Africa’s digital hub through strategic policies, incentives, and investments. This includes investing in local talent and tech start-ups while abolishing the E-Levy.”
“We’ll implement broad tax reforms, offering a one-time tax amnesty to all Ghanaians and corporate entities, wiping the slate clean from previous tax obligations. This will give everyone a fresh start in their tax journey,” Dr. Bawumia said in August 2024.
In the wake of this promise, many expressed doubt, as they argued that the flagbearer, who was also the Vice President at the time, wielded the power to abolish the taxes but did not do it.
Moreover, in previous street protests, the betting tax was one of the major concerns for participants.
Source: Dehotpress
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