The Minority in Parliament has accused the Government of misleading Ghanaians with claims of abolishing the betting tax, insisting that it was never collected in the first place.
“The Government says it has abolished betting tax, but the truth is, they never implemented it. So how do you abolish something that was never enforced? This is simply an attempt to deceive Ghanaians,” former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam stated during a press briefing after the reading of the 2025 budget.
He also criticized the budget for failing to address the cost-of-living crisis, noting that there were no measures to reduce electricity bills, water tariffs, transport fares, or petroleum prices.
“Having campaigned on the high cost of living, the least they could have done was to introduce reliefs. Instead, they have ignored the concerns of Ghanaians,” he added.
The Minority further accused the government of quietly reintroducing VAT on insurance policies, despite claiming to abolish some taxes.
“We were already not collecting VAT on motor insurance, yet the minister presents it as a tax relief. What they have done, however, is reintroduce VAT on all other insurance policies except motor insurance. This will hurt an already struggling industry,” Dr. Adams explained.
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The group also took issue with the Growth and Sustainability Levy, which has been increased from 1% to 3% for the mining sector and extended until 2028, a move they argue will stifle a sector that is currently driving economic growth.
On the proposed Ghana Gold Board, the Minority questioned why $279 million from the national budget was being allocated for its establishment, calling it an unnecessary expense.
“We have never funded the gold purchase programme from the budget. This move is nothing more than an opportunity for cronies to ‘create, loot, and share’,” Dr. Adams alleged.
With these concerns raised, the Minority has vowed to oppose aspects of the budget that they believe will burden taxpayers instead of providing economic relief.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Ebenezer Madugu