Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has announced the removal of five nuisance taxes as part of government’s revenue measures under the 2025 Budget, presented to Parliament.
According to Dr. Forson, this move is in line with government’s manifesto promise and efforts to reduce the financial burden on citizens and businesses.
Outlined in Parliament on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the Minister stated that although government remains committed to increasing non-oil tax revenue by 0.6 percentage points of GDP under the IMF-supported programme, these taxes will be scrapped to improve disposable incomes, support business growth, and enhance tax compliance.
The five nuisance taxes to be removed are:
Dr. Forson emphasized that eliminating these taxes will help ease pressure on households and stimulate economic activity.
Additionally, the Finance Minister addressed concerns over the misuse of the Tax Refund Account. He revealed that over the past eight years, GHS16.6 billion, representing 57% of funds in the account, was misapplied, violating the Revenue Administration Act, 2016 (Act 915), and the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
To address this, government is reducing the tax refund ceiling from 6% to 4% of Total Revenue, as stipulated under Section 69 of the Revenue Administration Act.
