"Bring Back E-Levy, Covid Levy and Betting Tax": John Dramani Mahama Advised

• Tax analyst Isaac Danso Agyiri has urged President John Dramani Mahama to reinstate the E-levy, COVID-19 Levy and betting tax
• He argued that if restructured with higher thresholds and transaction caps, the three taxes could generate up to GH¢18 billion in 2027
• Agyiri also proposed that revenue from the reinstated taxes be ring-fenced for pro-poor policies to ensure fairness and support social equity

A tax analyst with the Center for Policy Scrutiny, Isaac Danso Agyiri, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to reinstate the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-levy), COVID-19 Levy and the betting tax.

These taxes were scrapped in 2025 in fulfilment of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC)'s 2024 campaign promise to the people of Ghana.

However, according to Agyiri, restoring these taxes would help strengthen Ghana's domestic revenue and ease fiscal pressures.

Speaking at an event on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, he contended that the three taxes, if restructured, could generate up to GH¢18 billion in 2027.

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He further stated that the abolished taxes should not be dismissed outright but adapted to current economic realities.

“The first way to do that is, for example, to increase the threshold, the daily minimum threshold… if you factor in inflation and the cost of living, can we, for example, set a GH¢500 daily threshold so that if your transaction is up to five hundred a day, you don’t pay E-levy?” Agyiri asked.

The tax analyst also proposed the introduction of maximum caps on transactions to ensure fairness.

Agyiri further added that revenue generated from the reinstated E-levy, COVID-19 Levy and betting tax could be ring-fenced for pro-poor policies.

This, he said, could ensure that the burden of taxation aligns with social equity. He also proposed the introduction of maximum caps on transactions to ensure fairness.

“Can we also, for example, put a maximum threshold and say that the maximum E-levy you pay on a transaction is up to, say, GH¢100… These are all ways we can work it to address the equity situation,” he added.

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Revenue from E-levy, COVID-19, Betting tax

The COVID-19 Levy, E-levy and betting tax were introduced by the erstwhile Nana Akufo-Addo administration at the peak of the pandemic. They were imposed on goods, services and imports.

The COVID-19 Levy was a one per cent tax charged on the value of taxable goods and services supplied in Ghana and on the value of imports.

The E-levy was also a one per cent tax on all electronic transactions, with a daily free limit of GH¢100 and specific exemptions.

For the betting tax, a 10 per cent withholding tax on betting and lottery winnings was introduced on August 15, 2023.

In terms of revenue, the COVID-19 Levy generated approximately GH¢6.4 billion since its introduction in 2021, while the E-levy, passed in 2022, also raised GH¢1.8 billion for the state. The betting tax, on the other hand, generated GH¢180 million for the country since its inception in 2023.

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At the time, the Akufo-Addo government said the three taxes were part of a seven-point agenda aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability and accelerating economic transformation.

The above-quoted figures were sourced from the 2025 and 2026 Budget Statements delivered by the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.

These taxes, however, brought significant hardship to the people of Ghana.

During the 2024 elections, then-candidate John Mahama of the NDC promised to abolish what he described as nuisance taxes if voted into power in 2025.

The fulfilment of this major campaign pledge is in line with the Mahama-led government’s effort to eliminate what it has described as nuisance taxes and ease the cost of living for households and businesses.

Mahama assents to five bills

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that President Mahama had assented to five key bills into law, including amendments to the Growth and Sustainability Levy and Ghana Deposit Protection Act.

The bills were signed on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the Jubilee House..

The event was graced by top government appointees, including the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.

Source: YEN.com.gh