Former Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam has refuted claims that his administration implemented the controversial betting tax.
According to the NPP MP, the tax was never enforced.
His comments come after Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson presented the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, in which he announced the abolition of several taxes, including the Betting Tax and E-Levy.
Speaking at a press conference by the Minority, Dr. Amin Adam described the claim as unconscionable, insisting that the betting tax was never collected under his administration.
“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.”
The betting tax, introduced under the previous government, imposed a 10% withholding tax on winnings from sports betting and lottery.
While it faced heavy backlash from industry players and the public, Dr. Amin Adam maintains that his administration did not implement the policy before leaving office.
In August 2024, the then-presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, reiterated his commitment to abolish the controversial E-Levy and betting tax if elected President in the just-ended general elections.
“We’ll also reduce Withholding Tax for small-scale gold exports to 1% to curb smuggling, and abolish the Betting Tax,” Dr. Bawumia promised during the party’s manifesto launch in Takoradi on August 18, 2024.
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