Finance Minister Introduces Bills to Abolish Some Taxes, Including E-Levy and Betting Tax
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has submitted eight bills to Parliament aimed at abolishing several “nuisance taxes,” including the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) and the 10% withholding tax on betting winnings from lottery and the National Health Insurance Levy.
The bills have been referred to the Finance Committee of Parliament for review and will be reported back to the House for further consideration.
The proposed legislation includes the Electronic Transfer Levy (Repeal) Bill, 2025, Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Revenue Administration (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Special Import Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Emissions Levy (Repeal) Bill, 2025, Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, Dr. Forson explained that the initiative fulfills the Mahama-led government’s commitment to reducing the tax burden on Ghanaians. He emphasized that the proposed tax repeals and amendments align with the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) manifesto pledge to ease financial pressure on citizens. In a brief comment, Dr. Forson emphasised that the proposed tax amendment is in line with the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s manifesto promise to remove the controversial tax on betting winnings.
The tax, which took effect in August 2023, was introduced by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government as part of efforts to widen the tax net. The Bill also seeks to remove the 1.5 per cent withholding tax on unprocessed gold from small-scale mining, a move that is expected to provide relief to players in the artisanal mining sector.
The imposition of the betting tax sparked intense public debate, with critics arguing that it was an undue burden on the youth, who form the majority of bettors in Ghana.
The controversy escalated when former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam denied that the NPP government had implemented the tax. However, during a media engagement on the 2025 Budget, he retracted his statement and apologised for the error.
Despite the earlier denial, government records confirm that the NPP administration collected GH¢80 million from the betting tax.
