CEO of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Pius Enam Hadzide, has expressed his appreciation to the government for the implementation of a 10% tax on lottery winnings and betting.
He highlighted that the escalating participation of young individuals in betting poses a substantial risk to the nation, referring to it as a “time bomb.” He believes that the introduction of the 10% tax will play a crucial role in curbing this concerning trend.
Enam Hadzide, CEO of the National Youth Authority, emphasized that a growing number of young people are straying from the foundational principles of the nation—namely, diligence and honesty—instead seeking quick avenues for personal enrichment.
During an interview on Citi TV’s program “The Point of View” on August 21, 2023, Pius Enam Hadzide revealed that the prevalence of gambling in Ghana poses a serious threat to the education system.
“We have been concerned about the increasing incidences of gambling that are affecting even the education of children. Our assessment is that when you go to many of these betting sites, you see young people in uniforms betting. We have developed the culture that the Ghanaian is known as one who is hardworking, one who is committed to decent work and honest work.
These are what we stand for. According to citinewsroom.com, he remarked, “The idea of young people trying to become wealthy rapidly is a perilous route to follow for any country in the long run.
The National Youth Authority CEO stated that he fully supports the implementation of the 10% betting tax and believes that it will deter young people from gambling.
“So we have always advocated that the government should take steps to discourage gambling. We were looking at both legislative and physical measures, such as tax measures, to discourage and disincentivize people from indulging in excessive betting, especially now that our own research has indicated that the vast majority of the youth in our country are drifting into that area. In our view, it is a ticking time bomb.
“So we applaud the government because we have brought up this matter before past and present officers of state, and we are excited that the government is finally listening to us and implementing measures to disincentivize gambling,” citinewsroom.com quoted him as having said.