Former President John Mahama has sharply criticized the continued imposition of COVID-19-related taxes in Ghana, arguing that the country is still paying for a pandemic that has long ended.
During the Mahama Youth Town Hall event on Monday, August 12, Mahama expressed his dissatisfaction with the ongoing COVID-19 tax, pointing out that it is unfair to burden Ghanaians who have already weathered the crisis.
“Ghana stands out as the only country that continues to impose taxes for a pandemic that has passed,” Mahama stated.
He clarified that the COVID tax, a value-added tax introduced to boost government revenue during the pandemic, remains in place despite promises from various political parties to remove it.
Mahama explained that the COVID tax is part of the government’s revenue commitments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Removing this tax would conflict with the agreement made with the IMF to enhance revenue.
“This tax is tied to our agreement with the IMF. Removing it would mean failing to meet our revenue commitments,” Mahama said.
Looking ahead, Mahama promised that his administration would review and rationalize existing taxes, seek alternative revenue sources, and eliminate what he described as “obnoxious” taxes. He also criticized the E-Levy, stating that it has failed to meet its expected impact.
