The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to retain the betting tax and COVID-19 levy to generate revenue for the Scholarship Secretariat.
According to him, the secretariat lacks a major source of funding apart from government allocations; therefore, revenue from these taxes could help expand its reach.
The former Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat emphasized that since education is crucial to the country’s development, the president should consider his plea and refrain from abolishing the taxes, as promised.
“I would plead that instead of scrapping the COVID-19 levy and betting tax, they should be maintained, and the earmarked revenue should be invested in scholarships. Scholarships are fully funded by the government from the Consolidated Fund, governed by statutory laws.
“GETFund, for instance, receives funds from all sectors, but scholarships operate differently. Many Ghanaians benefit from scholarships to advance their education, so I appeal to President Mahama to reconsider,” he told Adom TV.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Minister of Finance Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson is working to remove the betting tax in the 2025 budget presentation.
The finance minister is engaging with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to eliminate nuisance taxes, including the betting tax and COVID-19 levy, during the budget reading in March 2025.
Watch the MP’s comments in the video below:
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
