The government of President John Dramani Mahama is set to present a new Sports Levy to Parliament, a move aimed at securing sustainable funding for th
The government of President John Dramani Mahama is set to present a new Sports Levy to Parliament, a move aimed at securing sustainable funding for the sports sector following the recent repeal of the 10% withholding tax on betting and lottery winnings.
Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, explained in an interview with Citi News on Tuesday that the proposed levy will form the cornerstone of the soon-to-be-established Sports Development Fund.
“This initiative ensures that sports development in Ghana is continuously financed and not solely dependent on annual budget allocations,” Adams said.
The Sports Minister also stressed the urgency of performance in national football, noting that the Black Stars have been fully resourced ahead of their decisive World Cup qualifying match against the Central African Republic on Wednesday.
“I expect the Black Stars to do nothing but win and win convincingly because we need that victory to safeguard our place in the US, Canada, and Mexico for the World Cup,” he stated, adding that all necessary preparations have been made to support the team.
The introduction of the Sports Levy comes after the NDC government formally abolished the contentious 10% betting tax introduced by former President Akufo-Addo administration.
The repeal, which took effect on April 2, 2025, followed President Mahama’s assent to the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The government cited the tax’s limited revenue yield and its contribution to the high cost of living as reasons for its removal.
The betting tax had been a central promise of the NDC during the 2024 election campaign, alongside other fiscal relief measures.
The Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson first announced the repeal, along with the removal of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) and Emissions Levy, during the 2025 Budget Statement delivered to Parliament on March 11, 2025.
Following presidential assent, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was instructed to cease collection of the abolished taxes.
However, the repeal has sparked political debate.
Mohammed Amin Adam, former Finance Minister under the New Patriotic Party (NPP), disputed that his administration had collected the betting tax, claiming the announcement of its abolition was misleading.
“Betting tax that they said they have abolished, we never collected Betting Tax. To tell Ghanaians you abolished something not implemented is to deceive the people,” he said.
This view contrasts with reports from the GRA, which indicated that the 10% withholding tax on betting had been applied starting January 1, 2024, highlighting a clash between political narratives and official records.
The proposed Sports Levy is expected to fill the financing gap left by the betting tax repeal, providing a predictable source of revenue for athletes, sports associations, and infrastructure projects.
Observers note that the effectiveness of the levy will depend on its design, stakeholder engagement, and public acceptance.
However, as the NDC government prepares to introduce the measure to Parliament, questions remain about how the new levy will affect the sports ecosystem and whether it can successfully replace the revenue previously targeted through the betting tax.
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