Ghana is the only country paying tax for a pandemic that has passed – Mahama

Former President, John Mahama, has criticized Ghana's continued taxation related to COVID-19, arguing that the country is still weighed down by taxes for a pandemic that has long since passed.

Speaking at the Mahama Youth Town Hall on Monday, August 12, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer expressed frustration that Ghanaians who endured the pandemic are now facing what he deems unjust taxation.

“Ghana is the only country I know that is still being taxed for a pandemic that has passed,” Mahama remarked.

He detailed that the COVID tax, a value-added tax introduced to generate revenue, remains in place despite promises from political figures to eliminate it.

According to Mahama, the government has included this tax as part of its revenue obligations to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“It’s part of the IMF agreement. As part of their agreement with the IMF to increase revenue, they’ve locked COVID inside.

“So, if you come and want to take the COVID tax out, it means you’re not fulfilling the agreement with the IMF,” Mahama noted.

Mahama also promised that a future administration under his leadership would reassess these taxes and explore alternative revenue sources, aiming to expand the tax base and remove what he considers “burdensome” taxes.

He further criticized the E-Levy, noting, “One of the taxes that is not performing is the E-Levy. They said the E-Levy would solve every problem in this country. Unfortunately, it’s not performing well”.