Tax Reforms: NDC govt giving with one hand while taking even more with the other – Afenyo-Markin

The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has said that the tax reforms by the Mahama administration are purely political.

He says the reforms bring no real relief to Ghanaians, especially the private sector players.

On the floor of Parliament, March 26, 2025, he said that “the NDC government’s tax reforms are purely political, giving with one hand while taking even more with the other, providing no real relief to the private sector or the ordinary Ghanaian.”

Also making a statement on the floor of the House, Former Finance Minister Dr Mohammed Amin Adam insisted that the 2025 budget that was presented by the Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson is deceptive.

He said that whereas the Mahama administration promised to remove taxes, it has rather extended the Special Import Levy in perpetuity.

This, he said, was not what the people voted for.

Parliament has passed the Special Import Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, despite opposition from the Minority.

The bill ensures the continuation of the levy on imports, sparking debate on its impact on businesses and consumers.

The Karaga lawmaker said “I am really surprised that the government that is resetting Ghana with a tradition of abolishing taxes is fighting so hard to reintroduce and extend the special import levy in perpetuity.

“You are breaking the tradition you have set for yourself, and this is not what the Ghanaian people voted for. They were promised you were going to abolish I,t and now, you are extending it in perpetuity; this is not acceptable. That is why we described the budget you presented here as Ndaadaa (Deceptive) budget.”

Parliament has also approved the scrapping of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) in the 2025 budget statement.

TV3’s Parliamentary reporter Christian Yalley, who was in Parliament on Wednesday, March 26 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.

Source: 3news.com