The former Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Sammi Awuku, has jabbed the finance minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, for claiming the John Mahama administration has scrapped the tax on lottery winnings.
Mr. Awuku described the minister’s pronouncement of scrapping the 10% withholding on winnings from the lottery stake as “misleading.”
He further clarified that lottery and betting are not the same, however, the government deliberately ignored it for political convenience.
“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,” he schooled the finance minister.
He pointed out that “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?”
The Akuapem North Member of Parliament’s assertion is in defence of fellow Parliamentarian and former Finance Minister, Amin Adam’s, who indicated that there was no such implementation during their tenure.
Mr. Awuku explained and provided further justification for his defence.
“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.”
To that end he reiterated that Mr Adam won’t be wrong to say the betting tax was never collected anyway since Dr. Ato Forson also referred to the 10% on lottery wins as “Betting Tax”.
The former NLA Boss called the NDC government to be truthful to Ghanaians and ensure that its policies rolled out becomes realistic to impact lives.
Read Sammi Awuku’s Full Statement
On the So-Called Abolition of 10% Tax on Lottery Wins….
First off, It is important to clarify that lottery is different from betting and same as its taxes. 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.
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 lottery tax because we understood its impact.
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.
