Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the finance minister-designate, has revealed scrapping the betting tax will not affect the forward march of the economy.
The minister-designate appeared at Parliament’s Appointments Committee today January 13, 2025, for vetting as he prepares to assume his role as Finance Minister.
According to Ato Forson, the key to boosting government revenue lies in improving tax compliance rather than new taxes or increasing existing ones.
Ato Forson stated, “Scrapping the betting tax will not affect the forward march of the economy. You don’t have to increase taxes to increase revenue. What is important is to increase compliance”.
He further clarified reports suggesting he plans to go for more International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The minister designated clarified, “I didn’t say I was going to request additional finance from the IMF, It’s inaccurate reportage. What I said was that we could request additional finance if the need arises”.
“The possibility of seeking additional IMF support should not be ruled out entirely, but such a decision would only be made if circumstances warranted it”, he added.
Ato Forson further revealed he worked with Seth Tekper for four years and would use his methods to improve revenues collection for the government.
“What I can assure you is that learning from the Honourable Seth and seeing the way our revenue increased in the shortest possible time, I will go by the same approach. Aside from that, I will dedicate a considerable amount of time towards revenue mobilization”, he added.
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