Actor and politician John Dumelo has criticized the Ghanaian government for enacting a new tax on all winnings from gambling and lotteries.
According to Dumelo, the government ought to focus on giving young people access to jobs.
He warned that if things keep going this way, the youth may soon rebel against their leaders in a post on Twitter in which he criticized the government’s decision to impose new taxes on sports betting.
Create jobs, you won’t create. The youth have created their own jobs too ahhh, you want to tax their winnings…..continue. That day will come when the youth will rise against you. It will be too late.
— Farmer John (@johndumelo) April 6, 2023
“Create jobs, you won’t create. The youth have created their own jobs too ahhh, you want to tax their winnings…..continue. That day will come when the youth will rise against you. It will be too late,” Dumelo tweeted.
Young Ghanaians, many of whom participate in gambling, have been harshly critical of the new tax on social media.
In the past ten years, Ghana’s betting industry has experienced tremendous growth, which has encouraged numerous bookmakers to establish operations there.
Ghanaians’ opinions on sports betting have recently frequently been divided, with some highlighting its negative effects on the youth.
🚨 Ghana 🇬🇭 has introduced a new tax for betting, games of chance and lottery. Tax will be 10% on all winnings.
Betting companies will also have a 20% tax on all revenue. pic.twitter.com/SVWQLhgh4v
— Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) April 5, 2023
Others agree, saying that since gambling is legal and not against the law, it cannot be characterized as a bad habit.
Serwaa Amihere, a newscaster for GH One, received criticism once for saying that sports betting was turning into a national crisis.
Dancehall artist J. Derobie has also been quoted as saying that sports betting is beneficial and has prevented many young people from committing armed robberies.
Relatively, Parliament by 136-137 majority decision passed the three revenue bills on Friday, March 31.
Since then, the Ghana Revenue Authority Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill 2022, the Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022 have all been approved by parliament.
The bills are essential in helping the government hasten the board’s approval of the $3 billion staff-level agreement for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Program.
