No Sports Levy Proposed or Approved by Cabinet, Says Minister

Accra: Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister of State in charge of Government Communication, has clarified that the cabinet has neither received nor approved any proposal for a sports levy. This statement comes in response to media reports suggesting that a 'Sports Levy' had been sanctioned by the cabinet to primarily fund the Sports Development Fund.According to Ghana News Agency, the Minister addressed these reports by confirming that while the cabinet had approved the establishment of the Sports Development Fund, no specific levy for this purpose had been proposed or approved. He emphasized this point in a social media post, where he also shared details about the fund's sources of finance.The Minister referred to a story published by myjoyonline.com, which cited Evans Yeboah, Treasurer of the Ghana Olympic Committee, as the source of the claim about the sports levy. Mr Kwakye Ofosu refuted this by stating, "For the avoidance of doubt, NO such Levy has been proposed and neither has same been approved by C abinet." He reiterated that the cabinet had only approved a bill for the creation of the Sports Development Fund.The potential sources of funding for the Sports Development Fund, as outlined in the Minister's post, include a percentage of gate proceeds from sports events, sponsorships, allocations from Parliament, and proceeds from the transfer of Ghanaian athletes, among other sources. If passed by Parliament, this fund would provide a dedicated financial mechanism to support various aspects of sports development, including infrastructure, player welfare, and grassroots initiatives.The Sports Development Fund aims to become a robust financial vehicle offering sustainable and transparent financing for Ghanaian sports, with a particular focus on the least-financed sports disciplines.