GRA reports 20% revenue growth despite scrapped taxes

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has recorded a 20% increase in revenue in early 2026 despite the removal of key taxes.

The performance comes after the abolition of the E-Levy, COVID-19 levy and betting tax—policy decisions that initially raised concerns about potential revenue losses and increased fiscal pressure on the government.

Speaking at a forum organised by the Centre for Policy Scrutiny, Technical Advisor to the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Elsie Appau Klu, acknowledged that the tax removals were widely expected to affect revenue mobilisation negatively.

“Initially, like any person would think, yes, of course, abolishing these three taxes were considered as losses to the government, and it puts some pressure on our staff,” she said.

However, she explained that the Authority’s actual performance in the first quarter of 2026 has defied those expectations, pointing to a stronger-than-anticipated outcome.

“this first quarter we have achieved 20% more than what we’ve collected last year… the GRA… has collected 33.7 billion Ghana cedis, which is 20% more than what we collected when you compare it to the figures of the same first quarter of last year,” she stated.

The figures indicate that the projected revenue gap following the removal of the taxes has not materialised as feared. Instead, the GRA’s performance suggests a rebound in collections, contributing to ongoing discussions about the broader impact of tax policy changes on government finances.

The issue was further examined during the forum following a presentation by tax analyst Isaac Danso Agyiri, who argued for the reintroduction of the scrapped taxes to strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation. He estimated that reinstating the taxes could generate as much as GH¢18 billion by 2027.

The contrasting views highlight a continuing policy debate on how best to balance tax relief with the need to sustain government revenue. While some see the removal of certain taxes as a way to ease the burden on citizens and businesses, others caution that it may reduce the state’s capacity to finance development.

Despite these concerns, the GRA’s latest performance provides evidence that revenue mobilisation can remain resilient, even in the absence of some previously established tax streams.