As part of efforts aimed at deepening Ghana’s human development agenda, the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has announced that the amount the state will mobilize from the adjustment of the tax refund account will be directed to human-centered developmental projects.
About GH¢3.8 billion is expected to be freed through strategic adjustments to the tax refund ceiling. The government, through the 2025 Budget, announced an adjustment that reduced the ceiling on the tax refund account by 2 percentage points from 6% to 4%.
This move is a measure to compensate for the revenues lost from the scrapping of taxes such as the E-levy, Betting tax, emissions levy, and others.
Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson says it wouldn’t be business as usual, pledging that the funds will be channelled to critical social intervention programs that directly touch the lives of millions of Ghanaians.
Speaking in a statement on April 7, Dr. Forson emphasized that the redirection of these funds represents a conscious shift from abstract macroeconomic metrics to tangible grassroots transformation.
“We are investing in areas that directly impact the lives of citizens,” he said,
Such projects, he says, will include vital programs such as free sanitary pads for schoolgirls, school feeding, the capitation grant, and the LEAP programme for vulnerable households.
This position of the Minister comes at a time when many development practitioners are advocating for people-centered fiscal policies, particularly those that address inequalities in education, health, and social protection.
The Finance Minister’s assurance suggests a renewed commitment to inclusive governance that prioritizes the needs of underserved communities.
