The government’s decision to abolish the betting tax has been hailed as a positive move by Sammy Awuku, former Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Akuapem North.
In an interview with Daily Guide Network, Sammy Awuku expressed his excitement about the move, stating, “I’m excited that the betting tax is going to be scrapped. I’ve been consistent about it, even during the NPP era, and I said it is something that personally has not worked in many of the jurisdictions anytime you have introduced taxes on betting.”
Awuku argued that the tax has been counterproductive, particularly for government-owned institutions like the NLA.
“Lottery was part of the betting tax. The National Lottery Authority, for instance, is owned by the government, and apart from the things that they do, at the end of the day, they must also contribute to the national kitty,” he explained.
The former NLA boss also highlighted the unfair advantage the tax created for illegal betting operators.
“If the government is taxing itself, then what will happen is that the underground operators that we call the illegal operators will become emboldened. If you play with the government, you attract a 10% tax on what you win. But if you play with the illegals, you get your full money. So, I told them that, for me, it was counterproductive,” he added.
Awuku criticized the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for its inconsistent stance on betting and lottery activities.
He noted that the Finance Minister-designate had previously suggested banning these activities altogether.
“The difficulty with the NDC position is that earlier the Finance Minister-designate, in time past, had said that it should be banned—not just the tax being scrapped,” he said.