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Former Finance Minister and Member of Parliament for Karaga Constituency, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, has clarified that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government only implemented taxes on betting winnings and not on lottery winnings.
Dr. Amin Adam debunked claims that the NPP administration had previously collected taxes on lottery winnings before abolishing them. According to him, the withholding tax on lottery winnings was never enforced under the NPP government, contrary to public perception.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, March 17, which was monitored by Elvisanokyenews.net, he insisted that his previous statements on the matter were accurate and criticized the current Finance Minister for misrepresenting the issue in Parliament
“I said that the betting tax they claim to have abolished should be properly qualified. The minister came to Parliament and said he was going to abolish withholding tax on winnings from the lottery, otherwise known as betting tax, as if to equate betting tax to winnings from the lottery,” he stated.
He further stressed that while the 10% withholding tax on bet winnings was indeed implemented, the same tax on lottery winnings was never enforced.
“That’s what I’m saying, that it wasn’t implemented. And the minister came to Parliament and said that tax otherwise known as betting tax.
“So my point was that while he’s calling it betting tax, that tax has not been collected. We never implemented that,” he said
Dr. Amin Adam also pointed out that when the Finance Minister recently laid a bill in Parliament to abolish taxes on bet winnings, it was only the withholding tax on betting that had been collected and not on lottery winnings.
“The withholding tax on winnings from betting was implemented, but the withholding tax on winnings from lotto was not,” he clarified.
Dr Amin Adam further revealed that he had chaired meetings to discuss how the lottery winnings tax could be implemented, following petitions from the National Lottery Authority.
He questioned why the Finance Minister was not specific in his initial remarks if he later had to return to Parliament to clarify.
“I know for a fact because I chaired meetings to discuss how to implement it, following petitions from the National Lottery Authority.
“And so if the Minister has come back to correct it, to say he meant winnings from bet winnings, then I’m wondering why he was not specific in the first place,” he argued.
Source: Elvsianokyenews.net
