Survey of the Ghanaian Tax System

The Government of Ghana published the maiden edition of its Medium-Term Revenue Strategy (MTRS) in September 2023 which outlines the tax revenue objectives of the Government and the main tax policy and administration interventions to be undertaken between 2024-2027. In the context of ambitious revenue mobilisation goals and a challenging fiscal outlook, the design of the country’s tax system is a crucial issue for policymakers.

This edition of the Survey of the Ghana’s Tax System provides a comprehensive overview of the tax system as of the start of 2024, and updates an earlier edition published in 2021. The Survey is intended as a repository of key information for researchers, policymakers, and the public, as well as highlighting revenue and policy trends and patterns of note, as a first step for identifying challenges and areas for reform.

Key findings:

At 13.8% in 2022, Ghana’s tax-to-GDP ratio remains below the government’s target of 18-20% by 2027. Though this ratio is almost 6 percentage points higher than in 2000, it continues to fluctuate and has made minimal gains since 2017.
Much of the growth in Ghana’s tax revenues since 2000 has come from increased corporate and personal income tax take, and VAT and similar taxes, though revenue growth from the latter two has stagnated more recently. These taxes made up over 70% of total collections in 2022 – up from 57% in 2000.
Tax collections from international trade have become far less important in the revenue mix, though they remain significant: 33% of overall tax revenues were collected on imported goods in 2022 (including VAT on imported products), compared with 54% in 2000. The contribution of import duties specifically to total tax revenue declined from 18% in 2000 to 13% in 2022.
Ghana’s tax-to-GDP ratio is fairly typical of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, considering countries of a similar income level across the world, Ghana’s tax revenue collections are slightly below average: out of 28 lower middle-income countries with available data, Ghana ranked 16th in 2022.
Analysis of tax rates and revenues across countries suggests differences in relative revenue mobilisation by tax type in Ghana. While recent growth in corporate income tax revenues means that they exceed revenues in other countries using similar tax rates, personal income tax and general sales tax revenues are lower than would be expected, all else being equal.