Ghanaian sports journalist, Saddick Adams has recommended the maintenance of the betting tax instead of it being scrapped.
His comments come after the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former president John Mahama’s pledge to scrap tax on bet winnings which was introduced by the incumbent government if voted into power.
He said this during a youth at a town hall meeting in the Volta Region on August 13, 2024. The 10 per cent betting tax introduced in August 2023, applies to all winnings from betting and lottery games at the payout point.
Saddick in a tweet shared on August 14, 2024, urged that the taxes be accumulated and invested into creating jobs for the huge youthful unemployed population in Ghana.
“On betting tax, if I had my way, I wouldn’t cancel it. Use it to make observed transformations in youth unemployed and the bettors will not be against paying it.”
“Gov’t can only create jobs/enabling environment if it has the finances to do so and that is achieved through taxes. Therefore, taxes accrued from betting should as a matter of consideration be invested in creating jobs for the youth…
“That we took a thousand youth out of unemployed by creating this from the betting tax collected in 2023.”
He believes that once employment is created out of this tax “the youth is assured of that commitment and in the long run, you’re offering them a better alternative, gainful employment opportunities, to positively utilize the exuberance” he added.
But, he warned against government milking and misappropriating these taxes made from “the risk that an unemployed person has legitimately taken to generate income, in the absence of meaningful jobs”.
“However, if these taxes are as usual going to end up being misappropriated or in the pockets of corrupt officials, then the motive to keep people away from betting by taxing them will not be realized. Put the taxes to tangible use”.