The Ghana Revenue Authority has reported that it’s assembled a new tax for betting, eCommerce, and online gambling. The directive will go live as of April 2022. Reverend Doctor Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Commissioner General for the GRA, believes that these taxes, with the Electronic Transaction Levy, will see the country hit its ¢80.3 billion goals for revenue this year.
A New System
CG Owusu-Amoah spoke at the GRA 2022 Management Retreat held at the Volta Serene Hotel in Ho. He described the system as one that has been created to guarantee that betting, eCommerce, and gaming platforms available to Ghanaians are tax compliant.
CG Owusu-Amoah said that taxation on eCommerce market players is a priority. He described it as a challenge to regulate thus far but stated that the new directives will allow authorities to make inroads in 2022. He added that the goal for this year is to ensure that the correct taxes are being paid by players in the online industry.
A Call for Support
CG Owusu-Amoah said that the new eLevy bill will play an important role in Ghana’s income mobilization. He pledged to roll out information regarding it, with the aim of clarifying how the charges will be applied and urged Ghanaians to support the government. The new measures are intended to stop leakage in the Value Added Tax system and citizens have been urged to consider their VAT invoices when buying goods or using services.
Gambling of all kinds is 100% legal in Ghana and is regulated by the Ghana Gaming Commission. This body is the sole administrative entity for the betting industry in this country, besides the Lottery. This is run by the National Lottery Authority. At the time of writing, as many as four million of the population use their desktops, smartphones, or tablets to bet online in Ghana, and these new measures will ensure the government gets its share of this action.
