Ghana Names 9 Payment Firms in Digital VAT Collection Rollout

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) moved collection to the payment stage. The applicable rate remains 20%: 15% VAT and two levies of 2.5% each.

Flutterwave, Paystack and Mobile Wallets on the List

The GRA’s Sentinal page names six payment service providers:

1. Hubtel;
2. PaySwitch;
3. ExpressPay;
4. Flutterwave;
5. Paystack;
6. Korba.

MTN Mobile Money, Telecel Cash and AirtelTigo Money make up the three named electronic money issuers. Ghanaian card-issuing banks and other licensed processors must also connect.

RTVAT targets payments made with Ghana-issued cards or wallets to merchants outside the country. The payment provider’s inclusion on the list does not automatically make every transaction taxable.

A Betting Deposit Is Not Clearly Defined as a Purchase

The GRA’s e-commerce guidance includes gambling games among digital services. Its RTVAT instructions, however, do not explicitly address money transferred into a betting account before a wager is placed.

Tano North MP Gideon Boako challenged the policy, including the possibility of incorrect deductions and refund problems. SiGMA reported the dispute on October 26.

As far as affiliates targeting Ghana are concerned, a VAT deduction could lower credited first deposits below the minimum required for CPA qualification (check the current terms in the catalog of programs). For now, no blanket 20% charge on betting deposits has been confirmed, which means its potential impact on FTDs remains unclear.