Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam
Former Finance Minister, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, has clarified confusion surrounding the different types of taxes on lottery winnings and games of chance.
“The confusion about betting tax or lottery winnings tax is not mine. It is the Minister’s confusion, and he must come out and clarify it,” he asserted.
“If the government decides to abolish the betting tax and submits a bill to Parliament, it will go through the Finance Committee for scrutiny, where we will seek further clarity,” he added.
Speaking at the Minority’s press briefing in Parliament last Thursday, Dr. Amin Adam clarified that the 10% levy on bet winnings—often referred to as the “betting tax”—is distinct from taxes imposed on winnings from other forms of lotteries and games of chance.
He emphasized that while the government has pledged to abolish the betting tax, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson’s budget statement created confusion regarding whether the abolition applied strictly to bet winnings or to a broader range of lottery winnings.
“If I see in the statement by the Minister that he will abolish winnings from lotto or lotteries and call that betting tax, then it is reasonable for me to think that he is equating the betting tax, which they promised to abolish, to the taxes from winnings from other lotteries or games of chance,” Dr. Amin Adam stated.
The former Finance Minister further clarified that while tax on winnings from lotto had not been implemented during his tenure due to discussions between the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the tax on bet winnings had indeed been executed.
Acknowledging that his previous statement may have unintentionally implied that the betting tax was never implemented, he reaffirmed that his main point was to highlight the miscommunication by the current Minister.
Dr. Amin Adam also expressed skepticism over whether the government intends to follow through on its promise.
He noted that the Finance Minister’s lack of specificity in stating whether bet winnings tax or broader lottery winnings tax would be abolished raises doubts about the government’s commitment to its manifesto pledge.
“I was somehow suspicious whether the Minister truly intended to abolish the betting tax. If your manifesto promises to abolish bet winnings tax, I would expect it to be clearly stated as such,” he said.
“Instead, the Minister’s language blurred the distinction between betting tax and taxes on other games of chance, creating uncertainty about what exactly the government plans to do,” he asserted.
Furthermore, Dr. Amin Adam pointed out that the relevant legislation addressing betting tax was not listed among the laws set for amendment in 2025, further complicating the issue.
He insisted that the Minister of Finance should provide a clearer explanation of the government’s actual position on the matter.
Dr. Amin Adam stressed that Ghanaians deserve transparency regarding the government’s policy on taxation, urging the Finance Minister to provide an unequivocal statement on the abolition of betting tax and related levies.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House