Ghana's NDC promises to scrap betting tax within 120 days

Sam George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo Pampram, has made a bold commitment to Ghanaians, stating that the incoming government will abolish several taxes, including the betting tax, as reported by YEN.

"What I can assure you we will do with our super-majority is that within the first 120 days of the ninth Parliament of Ghana, we will scrap the E-levy, we will scrap the betting tax, we will scrap the Covid-levy, we will scrap the emission tax," George declared during his victory speech on social media.

Following the December 7 elections, where George successfully retained his seat, he emphasized that these changes are part of a broader effort by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to ease the financial burden on citizens. The NDC is poised to claim a majority in Parliament after provisional results indicated they won most of the available seats.

The political landscape shifted dramatically when Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia conceded defeat to former President John Dramani Mahama, who is expected to be officially declared the winner of the 2024 election. George's commitment to scrapping these taxes reflects a significant shift in policy direction as the NDC prepares to take office.

In Ghana, a 10% withholding tax on lottery and betting winnings was introduced as part of the Income Tax (Amendment) Act. This law also includes a 20% tax on Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) for operators. However, the new tax policies have faced criticism for imposing financial burdens on players and industry stakeholders, prompting calls for their repeal by some lawmakers from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).