PHOTO: Mohammed Amin Adam, former Minister OF Finance
The William Akufo-Addo government has raked in a staggering GH₵11.2 billion from E-Levy, Betting Tax, and COVID-19 levies between 2021 and 2024—directly contradicting former Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam’s claim that his administration never implemented nor collected tax from betting.
In a post-budget interview, the Karaga MP sought to discredit John Mahama’s maiden budget, boldly asserting:
“We never collected nor implemented a betting tax. How do you abolish a tax that was neither implemented nor collected?”
However, revenue data from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) tells a different story.
• Betting Tax, which Amin Adam claimed was never collected, has actually generated GH₵416 million since its enforcement in 2022. It started at GH₵51 million in its first year, surged to GH₵156 million in 2023, and skyrocketed to GH₵208 million in 2024—proving it was not just on paper but actively filling government coffers.
• E-Levy, the highly controversial electronic transaction levy, has amassed a staggering GH₵3.6 billion within three years, with annual collections rising from GH₵643 million in 2022 to GH₵1.8 billion in 2024.
• COVID-19 Levies (1% Domestic & Import) have contributed an enormous GH₵7.3 billion, significantly boosting state revenue.
With GH₵4.6 billion collected in 2024 alone, these figures expose the contradictions in Amin Adam’s statements and reaffirm that tax policies under the Akufo-Addo administration have remained a key revenue source.
The revelation also raises fresh questions: If these levies were imposed as emergency measures, why are they still in place amid Ghana’s persistent economic hardship?
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