A growing uproar has erupted on social media after former Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam claimed that the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration never implemented the 10% betting withholding tax.
His statement, which was made in response to Finance Minister Dr. Ato Forson’s announcement of plans to abolish the betting tax, has sparked calls for an investigation into the handling of the tax revenue.
During a press conference on Tuesday, March 11, Adam, the Karaga MP, boldly stated: “We never collected betting tax. We never implemented the betting tax. So to come and tell Ghanaians that you have abolished something that was never implemented is to deceive the people of Ghana.”
However, his claim has been met with widespread backlash, particularly from those who say they were directly affected by the tax. In fact, members of the previous administration had repeatedly promised to abolish the betting tax, while reports in 2024 indicated that the government had generated a staggering GHS1.2 billion in revenue from the betting levy.
Ghanaians, especially bettors who experienced deductions from their winnings, are now demanding accountability. “Investigations must start immediately, whoever took those monies must return it to affected persons,” one frustrated commenter urged.
Others questioned the handling of the tax, with one user asking: “So who was taking the betting tax? I think this is another area of interest the ORAL team should be investigating.”
The controversy surrounding Mr. Amin Adam’s comments has raised doubts about the transparency of the previous government’s actions and the whereabouts of the tax revenues that many citizens believe were wrongfully deducted. One particularly sharp critic remarked: “But you his government promised to abolish it. Npepee wanted to abolish what was not implemented oooo. 38.2% was too generous for these people.”
With the stakes growing higher, many are now demanding a thorough investigation into the missing tax funds, and the issue is quickly becoming a hot topic in Ghana’s ongoing political discourse.
Source:TheDotNews