Economist Dr. Theo Acheampong has challenged the Minority’s description of the government’s decision to withdraw tax exemptions on bunkering services as the introduction of a new tax.
Dr. Theo Acheampong argues that the claim confuses the removal of a tax privilege with the creation of a new tax obligation.
His clarification comes after the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, criticised the measure in the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review, describing it as a new tax despite the government’s assurance that the review contains no additional taxes.
But Dr. Acheampong insists the logic does not hold. He explains that tax exemptions are privileges and once such an exemption is withdrawn, the government is not creating a new tax or expanding the tax base. Rather, it is requiring the previously exempt group to comply with an existing tax law.
“Since when did removing a tax exemption become a new tax?” he quizzed. He continued that, “Let’s be clear: An exemption is a carve-out that lets one group not pay a tax that already exists in law. By removing it, you haven’t created a new tax base. You’ve simply stopped a special exception.”
The economist pointed to Paragraph 404 of the Mid-Year Budget, which removes the tax exemption on bunkering services, which is the supply of fuel to ships. The government justified the move as a measure to align Ghana with international practice, curb fuel smuggling, strengthen tax compliance and protect much-needed state revenue.
For Dr. Acheampong, the policy is more about sealing revenue leakages than imposing fresh taxes. “It is not a new tax. The tax already exists in law,” he stressed.
He argued that the exemption had become a loophole that was being exploited, resulting in significant revenue losses to the state. Closing that loophole, he said, should not be interpreted as introducing a new tax burden.
He further argued that the measure brings Ghana’s tax regime in line with international standards, where exemptions on bunkering services are carefully regulated to minimise abuse and tax evasion.
The economist’s intervention adds a new dimension to the debate over the Mid-Year Budget, shifting attention from the political argument over whether a new tax has been introduced to the technical distinction between imposing a tax and withdrawing an exemption.
