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The leader of the Liberal Progressive Party (LPG) described betting as “evil” and said major steps must be taken to prevent the youth from engaging in it.
In January, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) implemented a 10% withholding tax on all lottery and sports betting gross winnings.
However, both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have promised to scrap the betting tax if they win the upcoming elections.
Kofi Akpaloo slams plans to scrap betting tax
NDC presidential candidate John Mahama said he would abolish the betting tax if elected as president, while the NPP’s Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has also pledged to do the same.
Akpaloo is, however, of the view that both Mahama and Bawumia are being deceptive and encouraging betting because they’re not competent enough to create jobs for the youth.
“I believe that betting is evil, and we should do everything possible to discourage our youth from engaging in it,” he said on Starr FM.
“It’s a big lie for somebody to tell you that he’s going to create jobs and then promise the young people that he’s going to take away betting taxes because you want to encourage them to do more betting. It’s a disaster when we have such people leading us. The future is [bleak] and there’s no hope.”
Meanwhile, the sports betting industry in Ghana has seen tremendous growth in the last decade, leading to many betting companies setting up shop in the country.