The Deputy Finance Minister, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, says the government could consider reducing taxes and import duties—but only if it succeeds in plugging revenue leakages.
Speaking on February 23, 2026, he stressed that improved tax compliance and sealing loopholes would widen the revenue net and ease the pressure on compliant taxpayers.
His remarks come on the back of a major customs interception at the Akanu and Aflao borders. The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), through its Customs Division, halted 18 articulated trucks on February 18, 2026. The trucks, declared in transit to Niger, were loaded with cooking oil, spaghetti and tomato paste.
Customs officials cited suspected irregularities, including the absence of the required human escort for transit goods.
The consignments are believed to have posed a potential revenue loss of GH¢85.3 million, with an initial valuation of GH¢2.62 million.
Mr Ampem maintained that the enforcement action reflects a broader effort to restore fairness to the tax system.
“If we are able to seal these revenue leakages and ensure appropriate taxes are paid, we may get to a point where we may even have to reduce taxes and duties. But for now, the burden is only on the few law-abiding ones,” he said.
The message is clear: broaden compliance first, then talk about relief.
