The Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has said that the removal of the E-levy and Betting Tax will no doubt bring much-needed relief to Ghanaians.
In a post on his X page, the Finance Minister said “Parliament has just passed the bill I presented to abolish the E-Levy! I am confident that H.E President Mahama will sign it soon, bringing much-needed relief to the good people of Ghana.”
Ghana’s Parliament approved the scrapping of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) in the 2025 budget statement on Wednesday, March 26.
TV3’s Parliamentary reporter Christian Yalley, who was in Parliament, reported that this was after the House passed the Electronic Transaction Levy (Repeal) Bill, 2025.
E-levy was a tax applied on transactions made on electronic or digital platforms in Ghana since 29 March 2022. The tax was to mobilise revenue to support entrepreneurship and national development. However, the anticipated proceeds were not realised.
The Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, had earlier announced that the government would be abolishing the E-levy, and the 10% tax on lottery winnings, also known as betting tax.
The Minister announced this when he presented the government’s first budget statement to Parliament on Tuesday, March 11.
The Minister also announced the cancellation of other levies, including the Emissions tax.
He also announced that in an attempt to review the Value Added Tax system, the government will also eventually abolish the COVID-19 levy.
Dr Forson stressed that the government remained committed to social protection programmes, with increased budgetary allocations to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme, the School Feeding Programme, and the Capitation Grant.
Under the LEAP programme, benefits had been adjusted to reflect inflation, and the number of beneficiary households will increase from 350,000 to 400,000 in July 2025.
The government has also raised the allocation for LEAP benefits by 30.8 per cent, from GH¢728.8 million to GH¢953.5 million.
Furthermore, funding for the School Feeding Programme has been increased, with the cost of feeding per pupil per day going up by 33 per cent.
“These interventions reaffirm the government’s commitment to supporting vulnerable groups and ensuring social equity,” Dr Forson noted.
During his speech before presenting the budget, Dr Forson, emphasised the need for national unity and collective effort in addressing Ghana’s economic challenges.
He noted that the just-ended National Economic Dialogue, the first in over a decade, was a crucial opportunity to reflect on the country’s economic realities and chart a course for recovery.
“This dialogue is an opportunity to reflect on our economic reality, address pressing challenges, and chart a course towards a more prosperous future for all our citizens,” he stated.
The minister also acknowledged the severe impact of recent economic difficulties, including currency depreciation, hyperinflation, high taxes, rising fuel and electricity prices, and soaring interest rates.
He stressed that the crisis was not over and that significant sacrifices were needed to stabilise the economy.
He highlighted President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to fiscal discipline, including reducing the number of ministers from 123 to 60 and implementing budget cuts for the Office of the President. Additionally, first-class travel for government officials had been prohibited as part of cost-cutting measures.
