Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa the Minister for Foreign Affairs has revealed the Mahama Naana Jane government has one more tax to be scrapped.
According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa government will scrap the COVID-19 levy in its next budget.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made this known when he addressed Ghanaians in Benin.
He stated, “Only one more tax remains for the government to scrap in order to fulfil its promise of removing four taxes imposed by the previous administration”.
Ablakwa further added that the government is investing in the youth by setting aside funds to cater for their needs.
His comments come after John Mahama assented to the bills following parliament officially passing the Electronic Transfer Levy Repeal Bill 2025, abolishing the contentious E-Levy that taxed electronic financial transactions in Ghana.
Both the e-levy and betting tax faced strong public opposition, with many in particular arguing the e-levy placed an extra burden on low-income earners and hindered digital operations.
The e-levy was introduced in 2022, initially charged 1.5 per cent and was later reduced to 1 per cent, with the betting tax being introduced in 2023 which took 10 per cent betting wins.
The now finance minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson during his vetting stated that in his first budget as Finance Minister, he would abolish the betting tax and the e-levy.
According to Ato Forson, the betting tax and e-levy have failed to achieve their purpose.
Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Monday, January 13, Dr Forson stated, “I insist that the betting tax must be abolished, and as Finance Minister, I will abolish it in my first budget because it has failed,”
“My position on the e-levy is well known. I have written articles about it, and my position has not changed,” he stated. The repeal aligns with the government’s push for financial inclusion and aims to encourage the use of digital payment platforms without additional costs. Business owners, mobile money agents, and financial analysts have welcomed the move, anticipating a boost in digital transactions and economic growth.
The repeal of the E-Levy aligns with the government’s efforts to promote financial inclusion and encourage the use of digital payment platforms without imposing additional costs on users.
Many business owners, mobile money agents, and financial analysts had previously criticized the levy, citing its impact on digital transactions and financial accessibility.
The betting tax which taxed a 10% charge on gross winnings from gambling activities, also faced criticism from investors in the gaming industry.
This move aligns with the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) commitment to alleviating the financial burden on Ghanaians and also fulfils Mahama’s campaign pledge to abolish these taxes within his first 120 days in office if elected.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has ordered the charging entities to immediately refund deducted Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) charges.
According to the GRA statement, charging entities must immediately process refunds for any E-Levy amounts deducted from customers effective 2nd April 2025.
