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Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minister-Designate for Finance, has assured Ghanaians that removing the betting tax will have no significant impact on the nation’s economy. His comments come in response to President John Dramani Mahama’s campaign promise to abolish the tax, which has faced criticism from various quarters.
Addressing the Appointments Committee of Parliament during his vetting on January 13, 2025, Dr. Forson emphasized that the betting tax contributes less than GH₵50 million annually to government revenue, a figure he described as negligible in the broader context of the economy.
“Some of the taxes are not bringing in any revenue that you should [increase]. For example, the betting tax is bringing in less than GH₵50 million a year. It’s a nuisance tax and scrapping GH₵50 million will not mean anything in a way that will affect the economy,” Dr. Forson explained.
He further stated that the government could easily adjust its expenditure to account for the shortfall, ensuring no disruption to economic activities or fiscal planning.
“Scrapping betting tax will not affect the forward march of the economy,” he added, reiterating the administration’s commitment to aligning its fiscal policies with its promise to ease the tax burden on citizens.
