Ghana announces plan to impose tax on anointing oil and other religious merchandise

Emmanuel Kofi Nti, the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority has revealed plans to impose taxes on anointing oil, stickers and other merchandise sold by churches and pastors.

Speaking with Joy News, the internal revenue boss said that the only church revenues exempted from the planned taxes are offering and tithes.

He said, “The man of God; is he not an individual? And is he not accountable to the state for his tax obligations? There is an opportunity for us to look at it.”

He went to specifically say that the sticker of a popular pastor in Ghana, Bishop Danel Obinim would be taxed accordingly because “it is income to him (Obinim)?”

The GRA has for months been considering a review of taxable activities by churches.

President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo backs this plan for churches in the country to be taxed, grounding his position on the fact that churches have now moved into the realms of wealth creation and prosperity, rather than charity.