As part of the promises to woo the youth to secure their votes, Former President John Dramani Mahama has vowed to abolish the Betting Tax should he become president after the 2024 Presidential Elections.
The Presidential Candidate says the Betting Tax introduced by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration is callous and insensitive to the youth struggling in the harsh economy.
Former President Mahama made this promise when officials and supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) gathered for a Town Hall Meeting at Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra.
The Town Hall Meeting was organized on the back of the Party’s launch of what they refer to as the Youth Manifesto, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), earlier in the day.
Addressing the gathering which mostly comprised of youth, Mr. Mahama explained in what is mostly referred to as the pidgin language that he understands that the youth are engaged in betting because there are no jobs in the economy. Adding that it is, therefore, unfair for the current administration to tax their small earnings from betting which is helping them to put body and soul together under precarious economic conditions.
“This one be the Yawa of the day. You see boys dey hustle and job no dey. So na the bet them dey do small small to get money Gob3. So I understand. I know say ibi matter we concern the youth plenty plenty. We talk already say when we come, the betting tax we go remove am,” Mr. Mahama said amidst loud applause and cheers from the audience.
He continued that his government will find alternative revenue to replace the betting tax while they implement their flagship 24Hour Economy. This he believes will help the youth to obtain decent jobs and can decide to forfeit betting.
“We know say this government and IMF sign agreement ibi so them bring the betting tax but we for find alternative revenue to plug the whole wey the betting tax go cause. So, as the young boys, the streets boys, the hustlers no get work to do, for the meantime them do this small small betting. Then we go do the 24-Hour Economy wey it comes everybody get work to do, everybody dey work,” he indicated.
He, therefore, urged the youth to remain calm and be hopeful that things would turn around for them under the future John Mahama government.
“So for now make the boys be, make them be. The small things them dey get, we go leave give them but wey the 24Hour Economy work wey you all work, you dey chop 1:1:1 instead of 0:0:0, then in future, maybe no bi me president then them go look and see ibi something wey them go do. But we go remove the betting tax, E-levy too we go remove am.”
The NPP government in August 2023 introduced a 10% tax which is applied to all betting and lottery winnings. The tax is automatically deducted at the point of payout for all betting, games, and lottery wins.
The tax at the time of the introduction faced huge criticisms from the youth who indicated that it is unfair for the government to tax betting and lottery winnings which only serve as an alternative income to the unemployed.
However, the Commissioner of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Edward Gyambrah, insisted that the tax is one of the means for the government to increase domestic revenue and enhance Ghana’s tax-to-GDP ratio, which is comparatively low in the Sub-region.
