For Mr Seth Adjei Baah, the frustration on the faces of struggling business owners is a familiar sight. It reminds him of the many times hoteliers, traders, and small entrepreneurs have been pushed to breaking point by what he calls needless regulatory pressure, fees that don’t make sense, taxes that repeat the same purpose, and officers who prefer penalties over guidance.
“It shouldn’t be this hard to do the right thing,” he argues, urging the government to rethink how it engages the private sector.
“Some of the things are not necessary as a private sector operator… There is duplication of taxes. Multiple taxes, and they don’t help,” Baah said, emphasizing the counterproductive nature of certain regulations. He recounted instances where businesses, overwhelmed by unreasonable charges, often resort to informal arrangements with government officials simply to stay afloat. “They will manage their way through by just giving some handshakes to people, and still the government will not get the needed revenue,” he explained, noting that those who insist on following the rules often face harsh consequences, including the closure of their businesses.
These concerns are not his alone. At a recent pre-budget dialogue organized by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), business experts and economists stressed that many of the country’s “nuisance taxes” continue to stifle enterprise development and push legitimate businesses into unfair competition with informal operators. They argued that formal firms paying VAT and multiple levies are increasingly disadvantaged compared to businesses operating outside regulatory oversight, an imbalance they say weakens compliance and undermines revenue mobilization.
Policy think tank ILAPI has been even more vocal about the issue. During its recent Regulatory Cost and Impact Dialogue, ILAPI’s Executive Director, Peter Bismark, warned that Ghana’s regulatory architecture is becoming too costly and hostile for the private sector. He noted that excessive fees, duplications, and inconsistent enforcement are choking investment and limiting job creation. “Ghana must overhaul the cost of doing business to unlock jobs and productivity,” he said, stressing that regulatory agencies should support innovation rather than frustrate it.
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Baah believes the country risks slowing its own development if these concerns are ignored. He argues that strengthening the private sector is the only realistic way to expand employment opportunities and reduce economic hardship. But for that to happen, he insists, regulators must shift from being punitive authorities to becoming facilitators of growth.
“If we want our private sector to grow and create the needed employment, these unnecessary barriers must be addressed,” Baah said, emphasizing the urgent need for reforms that balance enforcement with practicality and fairness.
