Member of Parliament for Karaga, Mohammed Amin Adam, has cast doubt on the government’s ability to meet its revenue expectations for 2026, arguing that similar measures implemented in 2025 failed to deliver the projected results.
Speaking on the government’s new fiscal plans in Parliament on Wednesday November 19, the Karaga MP said the Ministry of Finance appears to be relying on approaches that have already proven ineffective.
According to him, if compliance-driven revenue gains and the removal of import exemptions were capable of closing the revenue gap, they would have done so in 2025.
“2025 had these similar measures and 2025 showed that the measures underperformed. If compliance gains could ensure that we address the revenue shortfall, it would have done it for us. If removing import exemptions could have raised revenue it would have done it for us this year.
“Unfortunately these measures failed. And this is why I am confident that the revenue measures in the 2026 budget are not realistic,” he said.
His concerns add to the growing debate over the feasibility of the government’s 2026 revenue target. Earlier this week, Dr. Mahama Tiah Abdul-Kabiru, MP for Walewale and former Economic Advisor to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, also questioned the credibility of the projections.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View, Dr. Abdul-Kabiru warned that the Finance Minister’s plan to raise GH¢268 billion in total revenue and grants—representing 16.8 percent of GDP—may be overly optimistic. He noted that achieving such a target would require an unprecedented jump from this year’s estimated 11 percent of GDP.
The government has attributed the expected increase in revenue to improved non-oil tax collections, enhanced compliance, digitalisation and measures aimed at broadening the tax base. Expenditure for the 2026 fiscal year is projected at GH¢302.5 billion, while total revenue and grants are expected to reach GH¢268.1 billion.
The Finance Minister has argued that the 2026 plan aligns with the medium-term fiscal framework, citing a projected overall fiscal deficit of GH¢34.4 billion and a primary surplus of GH¢23.3 billion. But with multiple experts and lawmakers questioning the realism of the numbers, the debate over the government’s revenue strategy is set to intensify in the coming weeks.
Read also
