WE ONLY TAXED BET WINNINGS NOT LOTTERY WINNINGS - FMR FINANCE MINISTER

FMR FINANCE MINISTER

Former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has clarified that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration only imposed taxes on bet winnings, not on lottery winnings.

Addressing claims that the government mistakenly introduced a betting tax that was later abolished, Dr. Amin Adam firmly defended his previous statements.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, March 17, he criticized the current Finance Minister for misrepresenting the issue in Parliament.

“I did not err. What you just read are my words,” he asserted.

He explained that the finance minister had inaccurately equated the withholding tax on lottery winnings to a betting tax.

“I said that the betting tax they claim to have abolished—qualified the word that—because the minister came to Parliament and said he was going to abolish withholding tax on lottery winnings, otherwise known as betting tax, as if to equate betting tax with lottery winnings.

"Meanwhile, in their manifesto, they stated they would abolish the 10% withholding tax on bet winnings.”

Dr. Amin Adam emphasized that under the NPP government, a tax on lottery winnings was never implemented, despite claims that it had been collected and later abolished.

MICHAEL OPPONG-AMPONSAH