Member of Parliament for Tano North, Gideon Boako, has called on the Mahama administration to ensure the removal of the E-Levy and betting tax in the 2025 budget.
Speaking ahead of the budget presentation scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, 2025, by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Dr. Boako emphasised that Ghanaians expect all levies to be abolished.
He also stressed the need for the government to provide alternative measures to generate revenue for national projects.
Every Ghanaian is expecting the E-Levy to be scrapped; we expect the betting tax to go. I expect the COVID-19 levy to go and the emissions levy to go. It is important that the finance minister, in scrapping them, should be able to give us the alternative of the revenue shortfalls that may come.
He further urged the government not to introduce new taxes after promising to eliminate existing ones.
You cannot tell us that you want to scrap one tax and come up with another and even more impactful
Dr. Boako also called on the government to maintain transparency by presenting accurate and verifiable data in the budget.
Mahama campaign message
During the 2024 General Elections, a large portion of Ghana’s youth voted overwhelmingly for John Mahama, largely because he promised to abolish the betting tax.
Many young voters viewed the tax as an exploitative measure imposed by the NPP government, which they felt unfairly targeted their primary source of income amidst widespread unemployment.
This pledge drove them to take decisive action at the polls, favouring Mahama’s promise of relief.
