Ghana’s Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has dismissed claims by former Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam that the previous administration never implemented the betting tax.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, March 11, shortly after presenting the new government’s first budget statement—which abolished the e-levy, betting tax, and other levies—Dr. Amin Adam argued that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government never enforced the tax on lottery and sports betting winnings.

“Betting tax that they said they have abolished—we never collected Betting Tax. So to come and tell Ghanaians that you have abolished something that you have not implemented is to deceive the people of Ghana,” he stated.

However, responding to the claim in an interview with Evans Mensah on PM Express on Tuesday night, Dr. Ato Forson said his predecessor was not well-informed on the matter.

“I don’t think he’s on top of that matter because my checks revealed that it was implemented in the second half of 2024. And my checks also reveal that year-to-date, the government of Ghana has collected over GH¢80 million from betting tax, so I don’t know what he’s talking about. It is not the fact. The fact on the ground does not support his assertion. Clearly, the betting tax was implemented,” he stated.

The betting tax, introduced under the previous government, imposed a 10% withholding tax on winnings from sports betting and lottery. While it faced heavy backlash from industry players and the public, Dr. Amin Adam maintains that his administration did not enforce the policy before leaving office.

In August 2024, the then-presidential candidate for the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, reiterated his commitment to abolishing the controversial E-Levy and betting tax if elected president.

“We’ll also reduce Withholding Tax for small-scale gold exports to 1% to curb smuggling and abolish the Betting Tax,” Dr. Bawumia promised during the party’s manifesto launch in Takoradi on August 18, 2024.