E-Levy/Betting Tax: This Is Not The 1st Time A President Has Scrapped Taxes – Kokofu Jabs Mahama
Henry Nana Kokofu, former Chief Executive of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sees nothing new about what President John Dramani Mahama has done regarding his famous abolition of E-Levy, betting and emission taxes as well as other nuisance taxes.
On Wednesday, April 2, the President signed bills passed by Parliament cancelling all these taxes.
E-Levy was introduced in 2022 under the erstwhile New Patriotic Party administration and it imposed a 1.5%, subsequently reduced to 1%, tax on electronic transactions such as mobile money transfers, bank transfers and online payments.
The Akufo-Addo government further implemented a 10% betting tax on Sports gaming and also introduced emission tax but didn’t implement it.
In fulfillment of President Mahama’s 2024 campaign promises, the E-Levy and betting tax which had become a major headache to Ghanaians now no longer exist as following the presidential assent, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has issued a directive to all charging companies to cease the collection of these taxes with immediate effect.
“The GRA Electronic Transfer Levy Management and Assurance System (ELMAS) will automatically return a ‘no charge’ on all transactions posted to it by entities from midnight.”
“Charging Entities must immediately process refunds for any E-Levy amounts deducted from customers effective today, April 2, 2025. Entities are to establish an expedited refund process and maintain proper documentation of all refunds processed”, the directive said.
Although this has primarily relieved Ghanaians, Henry Kokofu recounts the previous government doing a similar thing in 2017, hence to say President Mahama’s action is not a novelty.
He reminded Ghanaians about former President Akufo-Addo reviewing and removing about 15 taxes to ease the economic burden on Ghanaians.
“This is not the first time that a President has promised to scrap taxes and fulfilled his promise. I remember former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government removed more than 11 taxes”, he said on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” morning show.
Source: Ghmessenger.com
