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Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a flagbearer candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has voiced his concerns about the increased reliance of Ghanaian youth on sports betting as a means of subsistence.
The Member of Parliament for Assin Central decried the lack of adequate work possibilities for youth, which has caused some to turn to gambling for revenue, in an exclusive interview with Happy 98.9 FM’s Sefah Danquah.
A new tax on gains from lotteries, gambling, and other games of chance was recently instituted by the government. In other words, domestic rivals will be required to pay tax on 10% of all winnings. In addition, betting companies operating in the country would have to pay a 20% tax on their income.
Ken Agyapong said that he would have raised the gambling tax from the present 10% to 30%.
“We have failed by creating the avenue for the youth to rely on sports betting. We should rather create job opportunities for the youth and for me, I will increase the 10% betting tax to 30% as a punitive measure to discourage the youth on relying on bet. But I will not say much about it for now because we have not been able to create jobs for the youth”.
The seasoned politician emphasized the need for discipline and alternate income sources for the youth by drawing a comparison with the United States, where a 40% tax is levied on lottery winnings.
Ken Agyapong declared, “I don’t fear votes and the misconceptions people put out there,” reiterating his steadfast commitment to putting the welfare of the nation ahead of political considerations.
Recognizing that the absence of employment prospects leads to this situation, he continued to emphasize the risks of encouraging Ghanaian young to use sports betting as their major means of subsistence.
He continued by saying that if jobs were more readily available, almost 80% of people would stop betting and gaming.
Ken Agyapong emphasized the possible advantages of his suggested betting tax increase, stating that it would not necessarily discourage gambling but would instead raise government revenue.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
