The abolishment of certain taxes ahead of the 2025 Budget was highly anticipated, especially when the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) had promised to scrap those taxes during the 2024 electioneering campaign.
Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the finance minister, in keeping the manifesto promise of the NDC, announced the government’s commitment to scrap the Betting Tax, E-Levy, and Emission Tax among others, during his presentation in parliament on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
Public reaction to the removal of these taxes has been one of excitement for many Ghanaians, who believe those taxes were draconian and counter-productive for the fintech space and the general livelihoods of citizens.
However, one segment of the population that have welcomed the removal of the taxes are young people who are compelled to cede 10 per cent of their wins from betting to the government in the form of tax.
Following the presentation of the budget, young people took to various social media platforms to express their excitement over the abolishment of the Betting Tax in particular.
The issue dominated discussions among the youth in all public places such as commercial vehicles, campuses, and other social gatherings of young people.
Following the budget presentation, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) randomly spoke to some youth in the Kumasi Metropolis on their views on the first budget of the new government.
As expected, over 80 per cent of the respondents made mention of the Betting Tax as a huge relief to them.
They argued that there were other innovative ways the government could explore to widen the tax net to increase revenue rather than going after their winnings which is akin to targeting low-hanging fruits.
Kofi Asamoah, a trotro mate, told the GNA that with the level of unemployment among the youth, it was insensitive for the government to target their bet winnings which were their sources of livelihoods.
A 23-year-old mason apprentice, Kwame Obed, spoke about how he depended on betting to cater for his needs as an orphan struggling to learn a trade.
He said betting had become a matter of survival among the youth due to high level of unemployment in the country and urged the government to take urgent steps to create sustainable employment beyond the removal of the Betting Tax.
Kwame Owusu, an unemployed, praised the government for keeping its promise, saying that many lives would be impacted by the decision to remove the Betting Tax.
