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Tax waiver on electric cars useless; how many people use it in Ghana? – Ato Forson
The Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has continued his bastardization of the government’s 2024 budget statement describing some of the tax waivers as useless, after tagging the general statement as empty.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during his presentation of the 2024 budget statement in Parliament last week Wednesday announced some measures to cushion Ghanaians.
Some reliefs prioritized by the government include the extension of the zero rates of VAT on locally manufactured African prints, removal of taxes on locally produced sanitary pads and locally assembled vehicles, as well as waivers on import duties for electric vehicles and agricultural machinery.
To address environmental concerns, Mr Ofori-Atta also announced the government’s plan to expand the Environmental Excise Duty to cover plastic packaging, industrial emissions, and vehicle emissions.
But speaking on the Monday edition of PM Express on JoyNews, the Ajumako Enyan-Essiam MP, who analyzed each of the tax reliefs announced in the budget, singled out the waiver on import duties for electric vehicles describing it as useless.
In the view of the MP, only a handful of Ghanaians use electric vehicles in the country, while there are very few electric charging ports for users.
“Let me make this point, I don’t know how many vehicles in Ghana are electric. Where are the charging ports? How many Ghanaians will benefit from it? Useless “he stated.
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Tax waiver on electric cars useless; how many people use it in Ghana? – Ato Forson
Source: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie
21 November 2023 3:06am
The Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has continued his bastardization of the government’s 2024 budget statement describing some of the tax waivers as useless, after tagging the general statement as empty.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during his presentation of the 2024 budget statement in Parliament last week Wednesday announced some measures to cushion Ghanaians.
Some reliefs prioritized by the government include the extension of the zero rates of VAT on locally manufactured African prints, removal of taxes on locally produced sanitary pads and locally assembled vehicles, as well as waivers on import duties for electric vehicles and agricultural machinery.
To address environmental concerns, Mr Ofori-Atta also announced the government’s plan to expand the Environmental Excise Duty to cover plastic packaging, industrial emissions, and vehicle emissions.
But speaking on the Monday edition of PM Express on JoyNews, the Ajumako Enyan-Essiam MP, who analyzed each of the tax reliefs announced in the budget, singled out the waiver on import duties for electric vehicles describing it as useless.
In the view of the MP, only a handful of Ghanaians use electric vehicles in the country, while there are very few electric charging ports for users.
“Let me make this point, I don’t know how many vehicles in Ghana are electric. Where are the charging ports? How many Ghanaians will benefit from it? Useless “he stated.
It is to encourage the use of semi-knocked-down electric cars. We live in an economy that we are even struggling to get power. How many cars in Ghana today are electric for them to say that we are giving tax exemption for electric cars? I don’t know if you own an electric car, I don’t own one. And go out and find out from people. As an MP, I don’t know of any individual or public transport that owns electric vehicles” he reiterated.
The MP told the Host Evans Mensah, that while the policy may be in anticipation of a shift in the future, it does not serve any useful purpose now and will not benefit Ghanaians in any way.
He said the government must first focus on creating the enabling environment for the use of electric vehicles instead of jumping the gun.
“So, it is looking at the future probably but is not giving something presently to the ordinary Ghanaian. What the government must do first of all is to create an enabling environment for electric vehicles. This [Tax waiver] is not. The one to create the enabling environment will be access to charging ports.
So if I bring an electric vehicle here to start using it, when I travel to Ajumako and for some reason I need to charge my vehicle, where are the charging ports? Which fuel station can I park in and charge my electric vehicle?” the MP quizzed.
If all of them are not available and you start saying that you are giving exemptions for the person who brings the vehicle, I need to use the vehicle here in Ghana to be sure that I can use it first. The government is doing the reverse because it is out of touch with the realities on the ground” he argued.
“What we need first is to create the environment for some fuel stations to convert the pumps into charging points, and create the environment for the ordinary Ghanaian to be able to benefit from it” he noted.
In September 2023, the Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, disclosed that the government is working on a policy framework to move public transportation from a dependence on petroleum fuels to electric vehicles.
“What we need first is to create the environment for some fuel stations to convert the pumps into charging points, and create the environment for the ordinary Ghanaian to be able to benefit from it” he noted.
In September 2023, the Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, disclosed that the government is working on a policy framework to move public transportation from a dependence on petroleum fuels to electric vehicles.
Credit: Myjoyonline.com
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
