Key takeaways from President John Mahama first budget as goment scrap betting tax, covid 19 levy and odas

Ghana President John Mahama im finance minister don present di goment budget for di 2025 fiscal year.

Dr. Casiel Ato Forson wey use 1h 45 minutes take present di budget for di house of parliament, tok say "dis budget go reset di kontri economy afta di former goment don scata everything."

"Dis na budget of growth and prosperity wey go make di economy bounce back."

Bifor dis budget presentation, many pipo bin expect say di goment go abolish some of di taxes wey dem promise for dia campaign.

Di finance minister Dr Casiel Ato Forson visit markets wia im engage traders and young pipo on top social media about wetin dem wan see for di budget.

Some sectors of di economy get plenti budget allocation, and di finance minister also announce say dem abolish some taxes.

A total of GHS 290bn ($19bn) na di budget allocation for di fiscal year 2025.

Dis na some of di key tins di minster tok for di budget.

Goment abolish 10% betting tax, 1% covid 19 levy and odas

For di election campaign, NDC bin promise to remove plenty taxes wey Nana Akufo-Addo bin introduce wey affect di ordinary pipo.

Di finance minister announce say goment don remove di 10% tax wey di former goment introduce on top bet winnings and lottery.

Dr Casiel Ato Forson also bin announce say dem remove 1% electronic transaction levy – one tax wey dem dey charge for every e-cash transaction on top pipo dia mobile money wallet.

At di time di former goment bin introduce di levy for 2022, many pipo dey against am, but di goment under President Nana Akufo-Addo go ahead and dem pass am even though some lawmakers carry di matter go court.

Anoda tax wey di goment bin remove na di 1% covid 19 levy wey di citizens bin dey pay till now even afta di pandemic don end for 2021.

For February 2024, goment been pass di emission levy wey dem dey collect from GHS 75 ($6; £4) for tricycle and motorcycle to GHS 300 ($24) for cars wey get 3,000cc or higher.

Dis na annual levy for di carbon emissions wey petrol or diesel cars for di kontri dey produce.

But di finance minister for dis budget tok say goment don remove dis tax as well.

Oda taxes wey di goment remove na VAT on top motor vehicle insurance and 1.5% withholding tax on top unprocessed gold by small scale miners.

All dis, according to di finance minister Dr Casiel Ato Forson "go help reduce di pressure on pipo and dia households and also make di economy bounce back."

Goment allocate moni for infrastructure, free sanitary pads for girls and di free senior high school policy

Inside di budget, goment set aside ogbonge amount of GHS 13.85bn ($894m) for wetin dem call "big push" infrastructure agenda.

Dis na to construct various infrastructure projects across di kontri.

Di oda sector wey get plenti moni na di health sector – wey get GHS 9.9bn ($641m) wey dem allocate to di national health insurance scheme wey go provide free healthcare to di citizens.

Di goment bifor dem win elections don tok say dem go review di free senior high school policy wey di former goment bin introduce. Di policy don get plenti wahala as many schools dey suffer to feed di students.

Goment for dis year don allocate GHS 3.5bn ($226m) for di free senior high school policy wia dem also provide GHS 51.3m ($3.3m) as seed moni for di goment agenda to set up women's development bank wey go help women get loans to do dia business.

Below na di oda allocations for oda line items and sectors for di 2025 budget.

Goment reintroduce road tolls

In 2021, goment abolish road tolls across di kontri, at di time, dem tok say dem go introduce di electronic transaction levy (e-levy) wey go compensate di moni dem go lose for di road tolls.

Di roads minister at di time Oga Amoako-Atta tok say dem neva go collect tolls, na so pipo wit disabilities wey bin dey work for dis toll booths don lose dia jobs since den.

Goment tok at di time say dem go find oda jobs for dis PWDs wey bin dey unemployed afta dem cancel di road tolls.

But afta four years, many PWDs still dey unemployed.

Di new goment tok say dem go carry di road tolls come back.

Finance minister Dr Casiel Ato Forson tok say goment dey introduce di road tolls again, dis time dem go do am wit technology.

"We go use technology take collect di tolls and we go dey transparent and efficient as we dey collect dis tolls," Dr Ato Forson tok for parliament.

Di minister tok say dis na anoda source of revenue for di kontri at a time dem dey try to revive di economy.

Goment say dem go cut expenditure

Di NDC bin dey tok since dem win di December 2024 elections say dem go appoint small goment so dem no go spend plenti money for ministers and deputy ministers.

President John Mahama promise say im go appoint only 60 ministers and deputy ministers wey compare to ova 100 ministers for di former goment.

Di finance minister tok for parliament say, dis small goment size don save di taxpayer plenti money wey go also "cut wastage and leakage for di system."

As part of tins to reduce expenditure, di finance minister don announce say goment dey abolish policies wey di former NPP goment don introduce like di one district, one factory (1D 1V) programme, di Youstart programme wey be policy di former goment tok say dem dey give money to entrepreneurs to do dia business) and odas.

Goment expect to grow by 4.4%

On Monday 10 March 2025, Ghana statistical service bin tok say di kontri real growth for di year 2024 na 5.7% even though di target for di budget for dat year na 3.1% wey di former goment revise to 4%.

Di 2024 growth rate na improvement from 2023 when di kontri record 2.9% growth and 1.5% for 2022.

But di finance minister tok say goment dey project to record growth rate of 4.4% wia non-oil GDP also dey expected to grow higher of 5.3%.

Dis growth target according to di minister dey based on several macroeconomic strategies and revenue wey di goment wan collect.

Di finance minister also tok say later dis year, goment go present dia ogbonge 24-hour economy policy wey go make businesses run three shifts to employ many pipo, for parliament.