The Chief Executive Officer of DALEX Finance, Joe Jackson, has expressed confidence in the appointment of Majority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson as Finance Minister-designate, highlighting his ability to navigate the complexities of tax reforms.

Speaking on The Citiuation on Channel One TV on Thursday, January 9, 2025, Jackson acknowledged the challenges of eliminating taxes, particularly under an IMF program. He stressed the importance of striking a balance between providing tax relief and ensuring sufficient revenue generation to meet Ghana’s financial obligations, including debt servicing and maintaining stable tax inflows.

“It is not easy to take away these taxes because we are in the IMF regime and we are committed to paying off our debt, we are committed to keeping our tax revenue at a certain level. Taking off taxes is the easiest thing to do but getting in, enough revenue is the challenging thing to do.

“It is easy for people to say they do not want bets, E-levy, or Covid tax any more and that is easier said but the challenge is when we take this off we must find other sources of revenue to make sure we meet up with the commitment with the IMF and the commitment to pay our debtors as they come up. So it is not an easy task.”

Jackson’s remarks follow a promise by President John Dramani Mahama to scrap several taxes, including the E-levy, COVID levy, and the 10% levy on bet winnings, within the first 90 days of his presidency.

This move is seen as an attempt to alleviate the economic hardships faced by citizens and ease the high cost of doing business.

In light of these developments, Joe Jackson expressed confidence that the appointment of Ato Forson would provide the necessary expertise to address the financial challenges.

“I am sure, given who Cassiel Ato Forson is, he will make a really good attempt to fix the situation.”

On January 9, 2025, the Presidency announced Ato Forson’s official nomination for the position of Finance Minister-designate, alongside other key appointments. A statement issued by the presidency noted that the nominations had been submitted to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, in line with Article 78 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. The following nominations were confirmed:

Hon. Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson — Minister for Finance Designate
Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor — Minister for Energy Designate
Hon. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine — Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Designate