President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government will no longer grant automatic tax exemptions on imported medical equipment, with all future requests to be evaluated individually on their merits.
He made the declaration on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at the commissioning of a positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET CT) scan facility at the Sweden-Ghana Medical Centre in Accra, after the facility’s operators appealed for tax concessions.
“Blanket exemptions are no longer granted. It is on a case-by-case basis,” the President stated, while assuring institutions that merit-based applications for tax relief on specialised equipment would be considered favourably.
The policy direction aligns with the Exemptions Act, 2022 (Act 1083), which requires prior written approval from the Finance Minister before any exemption can be granted. Ghana recorded GH¢4.6 billion in tax expenditure losses in 2023, according to the Ministry of Finance, while the World Bank placed the broader cost of tax exemptions at 3.9 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Beyond the policy announcement, Mahama described the PET CT facility as a turning point for Ghana’s healthcare system, expressing ambitions to position the country as a regional diagnostic hub drawing patients from within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc.
The President announced that the facility will operate under the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, MahamaCares, to assist eligible cancer patients with diagnosis and treatment costs. He also disclosed plans to procure catheterisation laboratories for Korle Bu, Komfo Anokye and Tamale Teaching Hospitals, alongside the construction of regional hospitals and cardiology centres to reduce pressure on major referral facilities.
