Players in the gaming industry have called for a broader stakeholder engagement with the government ahead of plans to tax their business.
According to them, taxing the industry may have an adverse effect on their business.
The move to tax the industry follows the government’s concerns that Ghana loses over GHS300 million annually in revenue due to leakages in the sector.
The government noted that the influx of online betting and automation of the once totally manual process has changed the nature of revenue sources from that industry.
An accountant at Betika, Godwin Azorko Agbavitor, said consultation was needed to involve the “Gaming Commission and even possible the National Lottery Authority and then the gaming companies as well and probably GRA.”
“They need to gather views from everyone on how it should be implemented or if it shouldn’t be implemented,” Mr. Agbavitor said.
The manager of the Mallam branch of 1XBET, Samuel Atsu Koni, also reiterated similar concerns.
“I feel that when you want to regulate anything, you have to sit down with the stakeholders and know when and how to tax use,” he said.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry for the Interior are now expected to co-supervise the gaming industry.
The government has also said it will consult with stakeholders to formulate a comprehensive policy to improve revenue mobilization from this source.
