Sammi Awuku challenges govt’s claim of abolishing 10% lottery tax

Member of Parliament for Akuapem North and former Director General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Sammi Awuku, has refuted the government’s claim of abolishing the 10% withholding tax on lottery winnings, stating that the tax was never implemented in the first place.

His reaction follows Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson’s announcement during the 2025 Budget Statement presentation that the government would scrap the tax as part of its efforts to ease financial burdens.

However, Awuku dismissed the claim as misleading and politically motivated, arguing that it was merely a strategic move to gain political points.

In a Facebook post, he clarified the distinction between the lottery and betting sectors, noting that while the NLA operates under the Ministry of Finance, betting falls under the jurisdiction of the Gaming Commission, regulated by the Ministry of the Interior.

Awuku further explained that under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, extensive consultations with stakeholders, former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) led to a decision not to implement the tax due to concerns over its potential harm to the lottery industry.

“So, let’s call it what it is. This isn’t an ‘abolition’ but rather a convenient attempt to score political points. The truth is, the NPP government had already made the decision not to burden Ghanaians with this lottery tax because we understood its impact.

“Hon. Amin Adam won’t be wrong to say the Betting tax was never collected anyway since the Finance Minister Hon. Ato Forson also referred to the 10% on Lottery wins as ‘Betting Tax.’ So if that’s what the Finance Minister refers to as Betting Tax, then it was never implemented even though passed in 2023. Ghanaians deserve honesty, not spin. Policies should be about real impact, not just headlines. Let’s focus on the issues that truly affect livelihoods,” he stated.