Director General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Sammi Awuku, has confirmed that the 10% tax on betting has not yet been implemented by the government.

In 2023, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) announced a 10% tax on all winnings from sports betting and lotteries, set to take effect on August 15.

This tax was part of a broader effort to broaden the tax base and boost domestic revenue.

The policy emerged following the passage of three new bills by Parliament in March 2023: the Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill 2022, and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022. The GRA subsequently reminded stakeholders of the new tax policy five months after the bills' passage.

Despite the announcement, which faced considerable public criticism and concerns from Ghanaian sports fans about its impact on their earnings, the tax has yet to be enforced.

In an interview with Oyerepa TV, Awuku explained that his office has not implemented the tax due to difficulties with the framework and process nearly a year after its introduction.

"Even with that, the truth of the matter is that we have not been able to implement it. I am telling you today. As I sit here as the Director General for National Lotteries, I have not been able to implement it. Because, first of all, we have a wide market of illegal operators. So you don’t even know them to go and tax them. We had a meeting with the GRA, and have been in correspondence over the last eight months, along with the Ministry of Finance. Recently, when the NLA was forcing known private lottery operators to come forward for licensing, you saw the reaction in the streets.

"Now that they are licensed, we can go back to them and discuss how to collectively support the government's plan, ensuring the business survives, the NLA survives, and still generates enough revenue for the government. This is where we are," Sammi Awuku said.

He further noted that no taxes have been collected from betting activities to date.

"We haven't been able to collect even a cedi. As I sit here, I have not been able to collect the tax. They wrote to me that, as Director General, I am to collect the tax. But I have not been able to collect the tax because the framework is difficult. We are still in discussions with the GRA and the Ministry of Finance on the modalities because, to be honest, we didn’t even know them [the operators]. We just licensed them two weeks ago, and it is estimated that there are about 380 illegal operators still unaccounted for."

Sammy Awuku, Director General of the National Lottery Authority, has asserted that the government has not implemented the 10% tax on betting.Video Cc: @oyerepaofficial pic.twitter.com/agBnOGvH1e— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) September 16, 2024