Ranking Member on Parliament’s Committee on Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has charged government to ban sports betting rather than imposing taxes on the sector.
According to him, the activity is destroying the Ghanaian youth and must be restricted rather than taxing the gaming industry.
“Ghana today, we are complaining that this gambling is destroying our youth. I have read a number of articles on this. I would have thought the government will come out with a policy to restrict gambling and to even ban it,” he said on Joy News.
Dr Ato Forson indicated that “to run a country is not all about money. You need to preserve society as well.”
Government in its 2021 Budget presented to Parliament estimated an annual revenue loss of over GHS 300 million due to leakages in the gaming industry.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry for the Interior have been tasked to co-supervise the gaming industry and consult with stakeholders to formulate a comprehensive policy to improve revenue mobilisation from this source.
But the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee is proposing that government leverages the Tax Exemption Bill instead of taxing individuals and businesses.
“Exemption Bill alone can rake in 2.5% of GDP. Instead of government of Ghana going back to push that Exemption Bill; they have decided to tax us because that is easy” the MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam said.
