Former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has called on Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson to provide a clear explanation regarding the planned abolition of the betting tax.
Speaking on Thursday, March 13, Dr. Adam responded to the 2025 National Budget, which Dr. Forson presented to Parliament on Tuesday, March 11. In his budget statement, Dr. Forson announced that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government would remove the 10% withholding tax on betting winnings, a tax introduced under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
However, Dr. Adam argued that although the tax was implemented, the former government never enforced its collection. He insisted that Dr. Forson must clarify his position on the issue. “If you want to abolish the betting tax, you have to be very clear about that because you cannot use the betting tax to generalize tax on other games of chance,” he stated.
Dr. Adam also addressed Dr. Forson’s remarks on ChannelOne TV, where the Finance Minister claimed the tax had been collected. He maintained that any confusion surrounding the matter stems from Dr. Forson, not him. “This was my confusion as well, and so… whilst I concede that my statement was misleading (on Tuesday), without the clarifications I have provided today, the confusion about the betting tax or lottery winnings tax is not mine. It is the Minister’s confusion, and the Minister must come out and clarify that,” he added.
