No more blanket tax waiver exemptions, Mahama says

President John Mahama said the government will stop granting general tax waivers on import duties and will consider requests on a case-by-case basis, the Ghana News Agency reported.

President John Mahama said the government will end blanket tax waiver exemptions on import duties and that future requests will be assessed individually on Thursday.

The announcement, attributed to the presidency, said tax exemptions will no longer be granted routinely. Mahama said exemptions will be decided on a case-by-case basis, without giving further details on criteria or timing.

Officials did not immediately provide additional information on which sectors or past waivers would be affected, or when the change would take effect. The statement did not include figures for the potential revenue impact.

Analysts and business groups have previously raised concerns about the cost of broad duty waivers to public finances, but the report did not include reactions from industry, opposition parties or development partners.

The presidency statement did not outline any new administrative framework or procedural guidelines for processing future exemption requests. The report also did not include comments from the government institutions responsible for revenue administration, taxation or trade policy.

At the time of publication, the presidency and the Finance Ministry had not answered requests for comment.

Source: GNA.

Additional reporting by Nukunya News Desk.