E-Levy, betting, emission taxes scrapped - President assents to bills

President John Dramani Mahama has assented to a set of amended bills of Parliament, effectively abolishing the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), the betting tax, the Emissions Tax, among other related bills.  

The affected laws include the Electronic Transfer Levy (Repeal) Bill, 2025; the Emissions Levy (Repeal) Bill, 2025; the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

Others are the Petroleum Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Public Financial Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

President Mahama also assented to the Gold Board Bill, 2025 that establishes the Ghana Gold Board, a regulatory body tasked with overseeing gold trade, ensuring transparency and promoting local participation in the industry.

The Bold Board marks a major step in the government’s efforts to regulate and maximise benefits from the country’s gold resources.  

After their assents, the laws will now be gazetted before their implementation can begin, although the authorities would start the process to effect the changes.

Signing event

The signing ceremony at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday marked a significant step in the government’s commitment to reduce the financial burden on Ghanaians and to stimulate economic growth.  

Present at the ceremony were key government officials, including the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, and a former Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, among others.

The repeal of the taxes takes immediate effect, with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) directed to halt their collection and begin implementing the necessary adjustments.

The betting tax, E-Levy and emission tax in particular had been subjects of widespread public debate, with critics arguing that they placed undue strain on businesses and individuals without necessarily impacting on the government’s revenue mobilisation efforts.

Indeed, the E-Levy, for instance, generated just about GH¢6 billion across all the sectors, while the betting tax raked in only GH¢180 million.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), during its 2024 election campaign, pledged to scrap the levies to foster a more business-friendly environment and ease the cost of living.  

Gold Board

The Gold Board Bill, 2025, which was passed by Parliament last Saturday, is expected to curb illegal mining activities, enhance revenue collection, and secure better deals for Ghana in the global gold market.  

Some of the key provisions of the Gold Board Bill, 2025, include centralised gold trading to ensure that all gold exports are channelled through the Ghana Gold Board to ensure proper valuation and taxation.  

It will also combat illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey by proposing and enforcing stiffer penalties for unlicensed mining operations and enhanced monitoring mechanisms, and also ensure a local content mandate to ensure increased Ghanaian participation in gold refining and trading, with incentives for indigenous businesses.  

Another provision of the law is revenue retention, which means a percentage of gold sales will be retained in a stabilisation fund to support economic development.

The Gold Board Bill, 2025 takes immediate effect, with the government expected to announce the Board’s substantive leadership in the coming days.

Citizens' welfare

President Mahama reiterated his administration’s dedication to fiscal policies that prioritised citizens' welfare.

"Promises made, promises delivered,” he said yesterday after appending his signature to the repealed Bills.

He added that “these taxes were not only burdensome but also hindered economic activity. Their removal will empower businesses, encourage digital transactions, and promote sustainable development.”

The betting tax, introduced in 2018 but effected in 2023, had faced criticism for its impact on the gaming industry, while the E-Levy, implemented in 2022, was contentious due to its effect on mobile money transactions.

The Emissions Tax, aimed at reducing environmental pollution, had also been met with mixed reactions from stakeholders.  

Objects of Bills

The Ministry of Finance is expected to provide further details on the government’s revenue strategy in the coming days.  

However, Dr Forson said in a brief  statement after the President assented to the bill that the Electronic Transfer Levy (Repeal) Bill was part of the government’s tax reform agenda to improve the disposable incomes of households and reduce the overall tax burden of taxpayers.

He said the removal of the E-Levy would not only result in increased disposable income for Ghanaian households and individuals, it would also provide financial relief to companies that patronise the E-Levy.

“This policy aligns with the government’s broader commitment to fostering economic growth and enhancing financial inclusion,” Dr Forson said.

He added that the repeal of the E-Levy would encourage the government’s objective of achieving a cash-lite economy, saying it was also expected to stimulate digital transactions, encourage financial innovation, and ease the cost of doing business.

The Petroleum Revenue Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025 amends the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815) to dedicate the entire Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) solely to infrastructure development.

This will ensure that the allocation of ABFA funds which was previously spread across multiple projects, limiting their impact and reducing the ability to complete transformative legacy projects will end.

The amendment will ensure that all ABFA funds are dedicated to infrastructure projects under ‘The Big Push’ programme, which aims to deliver significant, high-impact projects that will leave a lasting legacy.

This will enhance the efficient utilisation of petroleum revenues and yield tangible developmental outcomes. The amendment also ensures that the five per cent allocation is also applied to infrastructure development

For the VAT (Amendment) Bill, he said, it amended the Value Added Tax Act, 2013 (Act 870) to exempt the supply of motor vehicle insurance from VAT.

That follows the government’s observation that the imposition of VAT on motor vehicle insurance had a direct impact on household incomes as the incidence of the tax fell significantly on persons who could not recover the tax.

Additionally, for commercial drivers, the imposition of VAT on motor vehicle insurance could lead to increased costs, as they may transfer the tax burden onto commuters by increasing fares.

“The passage of this Bill will provide relief to households and commuters while ensuring a fair and balanced tax system,” Dr Forson explained. 

Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025

The object of the Bill is to amend the Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896) to remove the withholding tax on winnings from lottery, betting and game of chance as well as on the purchase of unprocessed gold.

Furthermore, the removal of the withholding tax on the purchase of unprocessed gold is expected to curtail smuggling and ensure that Ghana benefits from its gold resources.

Emissions Levy (Repeal) Bill, 2025

The Emissions Levy (Repeal) Bill, 2025 repealed the Emissions Levy Act, 2023 (Act 1112) which imposed an emission levy on carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from specified sectors and internal combustion engine vehicle emissions.

The repeal of the Emission Levy, Dr Forson explained, would enable the government to re-engage stakeholders on environmental reforms that would comprehensively address carbon dioxide emissions from specified sectors and promote the use of eco-friendly technology and green energy.

“These reforms also seek to improve environmental management while controlling general levels of air and water pollution locally,” the Finance Minister stated.

Revenue Administration (Amendment) Bill, 2025

The object of the Revenue Administration (Amendment) Bill, 2025 is to amend the Revenue Administration Act, 2016 (Act 915) to reduce the percentage of total revenue that is set aside in the Ghana Revenue Authority General Refund Account.

The Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment (Amendment) Bill, 2025 amends the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act, 2017 (Act 947) to expunge from the schedule the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Road Fund, Mineral Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), and transfers to the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) from petroleum revenue.

The uncapping of the GETFund will ensure the availability of dedicated funds for financing free secondary education and free tertiary education for Persons with Disability (PWDs).

Furthermore, the Bill seeks to uncap the National Health Insurance Levy to release additional funds for the payment of claims, procurement of essential medicines, financing of vaccines, implementation of the Free Primary Healthcare initiative, the Ghana Medical Care Trust, and bridging the USAID financing shortfall, among other critical healthcare needs.

Additionally, the uncapping of the Road Fund will enable the Ghana Road Fund to receive its full allocation, ensuring that the total amount is used exclusively for road maintenance and improvements.

Comments

Commenting on the repeal of the E-Levy and when it would be actually removed from mobile money transactions, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Ghana, Stephen Blewett, said although the E-Levy law had been scrapped, the companies that applied the tax must be directed by the regulators to effect them.

For that reason, the repeal could not have an immediate impact due to the effect of transmitting instructions, Mr Blewett said in Accra yesterday during an interaction with stakeholders as part of his one-year as CEO at MTN Ghana.

The Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Ken Ashigbey, said telecommunications service providers who provided electronic transfer services would begin to effect the zero E-Levy charges upon the receipt of notification from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The assented document from the Presidency, he said, was expected to be gazetted and then transmitted to the GRA for implementation.

Dr Ashigbey said the GRA would in turn inform the relevant agencies and service providers when to begin to effect the changes, explaining that the various service providers would begin to calibrate their systems to reflect the abolition.