The Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) has called on President-elect John Mahama to prioritize overhauling Ghana’s tax system. The organization is urging the removal of levies such as the COVID-19 tax and the contentious e-levy, which it says are crippling businesses and hampering economic growth.
Mark Badu-Aboagye, CEO of GNCCI, criticized the COVID-19 levy as outdated. “The first tax I expect President-elect John Mahama to eliminate is the COVID-19 levy. It’s obsolete and unnecessary,” he stated during an interview on PM Express.
Badu-Aboagye also questioned the implementation of the e-levy, describing it as a well-intentioned but poorly executed policy. “It’s a brilliant idea in theory, but its execution has hurt businesses,” he said, emphasizing that the new administration must honor its pledge to abolish the levy.
The Chamber also highlighted concerns over Ghana’s value-added tax (VAT) regime, which reaches 21% when combined with supplementary levies. According to Badu-Aboagye, these taxes inflate production costs and cascade through the economy, increasing prices for consumers.
While welcoming President-elect Mahama’s campaign promises to reduce taxes, the GNCCI cautioned against empty pledges. Badu-Aboagye referenced the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) previous commitment to abolish “nuisance taxes,” which, he claimed, were later reintroduced in harsher forms.
The GNCCI plans to hold the incoming administration accountable, advocating for swift and meaningful tax reforms to relieve businesses of their current burdens. “The private sector needs a conducive environment to thrive, and we will ensure that promises made to us are fulfilled,” Badu-Aboagye concluded.
This appeal underscores growing pressure from Ghana’s private sector for policies that encourage business growth and economic resilience amid challenging conditions.
