The Ghanaian government has taken a major step toward tax relief by introducing a bill to abolish the controversial 10% withholding tax on betting winnings and the 1.5% tax on unprocessed gold from small-scale miners.
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson tabled the Income Tax Amendment Bill, 2025 (Act 896) before Parliament on Thursday, referring it to the Finance Committee for further review and recommendations.
Dr. Forson explained that the decision aligns with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government’s commitment to fulfill its manifesto promise of removing the betting tax. The 10% tax was imposed by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, with collections beginning in August 2023.
The tax on betting winnings has been a subject of national debate, with critics arguing that it unfairly targeted young people who engage in online gaming and sports betting. Additionally, concerns were raised about its impact on the industry and potential revenue loss due to offshore betting platforms.
Aside from betting, the bill also seeks to scrap the 1.5% withholding tax on unprocessed gold from small-scale miners, a move expected to provide relief to Ghana’s artisanal mining sector.
The controversy surrounding the betting tax deepened when former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam initially denied its implementation by the previous administration. However, during a minority caucus meeting on the 2025 Budget, he later retracted his statement and apologized for the error.
Despite the backlash, the tax had already generated substantial revenue, with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) reporting GH¢80 million in collections. In September 2023, Mr. Edward Gyambra of the Domestic Tax Revenue Division of the GRA disclosed that the authority recorded GH¢15 million monthly from betting tax and had projected an annual collection of GH¢60 million.
With the bill now under parliamentary review, stakeholders in the betting and mining industries await further developments as the government moves to implement its tax reforms.
