As part of efforts to raise additional revenue for the country, government slapped taxes on income from lottery, betting and gambling. The government would take 10 percent tax on sport bet wins upon cashout.
It is against this backdrop that a concern patron of sport betting has questioned the moral right of government to take 10 percent of earnings won from sport betting.
According to him, the government has failed to provide jobs for the youth and as a means of catering for their basic needs, some sports enthusiasts have taken to sport betting to raise revenue to cater for their needs.
He added that government is wrong to be entitled to monies made by the youth when they did not contribute to it .
“What jobs have the government created for the Ghanaian youth? There’s unemployment everywhere in this country, so how can the government say after winning a sport bet with my hard-earned money, it would take ten per cent. What jobs has the government created?” the aggrieved bettor quizzed in an interview with Accra-based United Television..
He also threatened violence should any betting outlet deny him access to the full amount of money he is expected to have should he win a bet.
“Unless the money or tax is deducted before I print out my bet slip detailing my expected income. This is because if the money is reduced, the police and military would have to intervene,” he threatened.
"Government has created no jobs that deserves taxation on bets. Allah, nka de3 3besi besi" - Angry Bettor#UTVNews pic.twitter.com/zsOO2toXTn
— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) April 12, 2023
Parliament passed three new tax measures during an extended sitting on Friday, March 31, 2023.
The three new taxes are the Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill, 2022, and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022.
The bills were presented to Parliament as part of government's plans to raise about GH¢4 billion annually in domestic revenue mobilisation.
They are also crucial to help secure Board Approval for the US$3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programme after a staff-level agreement was reached late last year.
Watch the full video here
EAN/MA
