Former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has refuted claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration erroneously imposed and later abolished a tax on lottery winnings.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, March 17, he clarified that the NPP government only implemented a withholding tax on bet winnings, while the tax on lottery winnings was never enforced.
He criticized the current Finance Minister for misrepresenting the issue in Parliament, leading to public confusion.
Dr. Amin Adam insisted that his previous statements on the matter were accurate, explaining that the Finance Minister wrongly equated betting tax with lottery winnings tax in his initial remarks.
“The withholding tax on winnings from betting was implemented, but the withholding tax on winnings from lotto was not,” he emphasized.
He further revealed that he had chaired discussions on how to implement the lottery winnings tax but maintained that it was never put into effect under the NPP government.
His comments come amid ongoing debate over Ghana’s tax policies on gambling and lottery earnings.
While critics have accused the previous administration of unfair taxation, Dr. Amin Adam asserts that the NPP government acted within policy guidelines, taxing only bet winnings.
He urged the Finance Minister to be precise in future statements to avoid misinformation and unnecessary controversy.
