Ghana has enacted a package of tax and customs reforms covering excise duties, income tax, VAT, customs administration, and energy sector levies. The measures raise key thresholds, provide targeted tax relief, consolidate tax rules, and strengthen controls to reduce revenue leakages, alongside wider reforms to cocoa production, justice, maritime security, and defence education.
The Ghanaian President has signed 10 legislative bills into law, including several measures relating to taxation on 26 August 2026.
The key legislative acts are summarised below:
Excise Act, 2026: This Act consolidates excise duty regulations and incentivises local manufacturing. The Act consolidates all excise duty requirements into a unified framework, replacing scattered regulations. Local fruit juice manufacturers receive tax exemptions to stimulate domestic production, while the Act tightens oversight of imported dutiable goods, including alcohol and cigarettes, to block revenue leakages.
Customs Act, 2026: This Act modernises customs administration through legislative consolidation by unifying all existing customs laws into a single statute, replacing a fragmented regulatory framework that created confusion and inefficiency. By streamlining enforcement and closing loopholes scattered across outdated legislation, the Act addresses systematic revenue loss and simplifies compliance for both authorities and importers.
Energy Sector Levies Amendment Act, 2026: The Act eliminates abuses in fuel oil exemption provisions by targeting widespread abuse of fuel oil exemptions by factories and maritime vessel operators who previously claimed exemptions without rigorous verification. Under the new framework, operators must pay energy sector levies upfront and present verifiable proof for reimbursement claims, closing loopholes through documentation rather than self-reporting.
Value Added Tax (VAT) Amendment Bill, 2026: The Bill aligns VAT administration with monetary policy objectives by raising the VAT registration threshold to GHS 750,000 for services supplied within 12 months, reinstating clarity to registration requirements while preserving Commissioner-General discretionary authority.
The Act introduces zero-rating for domestic gold purchases under the Ghana Accelerated National Reserve Accumulation Programme, enabling large-scale gold producers to claim VAT input tax deductions. This supports the government’s strategy to raise national reserves to fifteen months of import cover by the end of 2028.
Income Tax Amendment Act, 2026: The Act provides direct tax relief to low-income workers by exempting workers earning at or below the minimum wage from income tax obligations, reducing the tax burden on low-income households and preserving disposable income for essential expenses.
The Act increases the presumptive tax threshold for individuals to GHS 750,000, aligning with the VAT threshold, and exempts people earning the minimum wage and below from income tax. It establishes progressive tax brackets: 0% up to GHS 7,056; 5% on the next GHS 960; 10% on the next GHS 1,200; 17.5% on the next GHS 34,800; 25% on the next GHS 192,000; 30% on the next GHS 363,984; and 35% on income over GHS 600,000.
Other legislative acts
Ghana’s other 2026 legislative reforms cover cocoa production, justice, maritime security, and defence education, such as:
- The Ghana Cocoa Board Act guarantees farmers 70% of the world market price and requires at least 50% of cocoa beans to be processed domestically.
- The Community Service Act promotes non-custodial sentences for minor offences, reducing prison congestion and costs.
- The Tribunals Act establishes specialised Regional Tribunals to accelerate justice delivery.
- The Maritime and Related Offences Act incorporates UNCLOS into domestic law to strengthen prosecution of maritime crimes.
- The National Defence University Act formally establishes the university and authorises academic and strategic military training programmes.
