Amin Adam won’t be wrong to say Betting Tax was never collected – Sammi Awuku

It is important to clarify that lottery and betting are not the same, former Director General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Sammi Awuku, has said.

Mr Awuku who is currently lawmaker for Akuapem North said that the NLA is under the Ministry of Finance, while betting is regulated by the Gaming Commission under the Ministry of the Interior.

This distinction matters, yet it’s often ignored for political convenience, he said.

To that end, he said that former Finance Minister Dr  Amin Adam won’t be wrong when he said that the Betting Tax was never collected anyway since the Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson also referred to the 10% on Lottery wins as “Betting Tax” during the 2025 budget presentation.

“So if that’s what the Finance Minister refers to as Betting Tax then it was never implemented even though passed in 2023.

“Ghanaians deserve honesty, not spin. Policies should be about real impact, not just headlines. Let’s focus on the issues that truly affect livelihoods,” he wrote on Facebook.

We never implemented betting tax, VAT on motor insurance – Minority

Below is his full statement…

On the So-Called Abolition of 10% Tax on Lottery Wins….

After listening to today’s budget presentation by the Finance Minister , I couldn’t help but notice a rather misleading claim that the government has abolished the 10% lottery tax on winnings.

But let’s be honest: how do you abolish a tax that was never implemented?

For the record, under the previous NPP administration, we engaged extensively with stakeholders, including the then Finance Minister and Hon. Amin Adam and the GRA after the announcement of the proposed 10% tax on lottery wins and recognized early on that taxing lottery winnings would be problematic. It would have been difficult to administer, cripple the Lottery sector, unfair to players and ultimately more harmful than beneficial. That is why the tax was never implemented nor enforced.

So, let’s call it what it is. This isn’t an “abolition” but rather a convenient attempt to score political points.

The truth is, the NPP government had already made the decision not to burden Ghanaians with this tax because we understood its impact.

Also, it’s important to clarify that lottery and betting are not the same. The National Lottery Authority (NLA) is under the Ministry of Finance, while betting is regulated by the Gaming Commission under the Ministry of the Interior. This distinction matters, yet it’s often ignored for political convenience.

Hon. Amin Adam won’t be wrong to say the Betting tax was never collected anyway since the Finance Minister Hon. Ato Forson also referred to the 10% on Lottery wins as “Betting Tax”. So if that’s what the Finance Minister refers to as Betting Tax then it was never implemented even though passed in 2023.

Ghanaians deserve honesty, not spin. Policies should be about real impact, not just headlines. Let’s focus on the issues that truly affect livelihoods.

The post Amin Adam won’t be wrong to say Betting Tax was never collected – Sammi Awuku first appeared on 3News.

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