Mining firms in Ghana are required to pay royalties, corporation taxes, levies, and other financial requirements. The actual tax burden varies depending on the mineral, the terms of the mining lease, and if the company has a fiscal stability agreement.
The primary taxes and charges are:
Tax / LevyCurrent Rate Basis.
Mineral royalty5% of overall income (subject to more recent sliding-scale restrictions for gold)Revenue
Corporate income tax: 35%Taxable profits
Interest is handled by the government at 10%, with state equity participation.
Growth and Sustainability Levy for gold mining: 1% of gross production (adjusted in 2026) Revenue
Dividend withholding tax: 8%.Dividends paid.
Annual mineral rights costsRegulations specify the license area.
Ground rent is required by regulation.Land occupied Pay As You Earn Graduated ratesEmployees’ salaries
Withholding taxes range between 3-15% for payments to suppliers and non-residents.
Mineral royalty
Ghana charges a 5% royalty on gross mineral output receipts. This royalty is payable whether or whether the mine is profitable.
Gold royalty changes (2026)
In 2026, Ghana implemented a sliding-scale royalty for gold mining. Instead of a flat 5%, the royalty now rises with international gold prices:
5% for lower gold prices.
Rising steadily as prices rise.
Up to 12% when gold prices exceed US$4,500 per ounce.
This change was enacted to provide the government a larger part of windfall earnings during periods of extraordinarily high gold prices.
Corporate Income Tax
Mining companies pay a 35% corporate income tax, which is higher than Ghana’s ordinary corporate tax rate for the majority of enterprises.
Growth and Sustainability Levy
Gold miners are also liable to the Growth and Sustainability Levy. To compensate for the new higher royalty regime, the government cut the charge from 3% to 1% of gross production in 2026.
Other financial obligations
Mining businesses may incur:
Annual mineral rights (license) fees
Ground rent.
VAT on qualified items is often recoverable under the mining fiscal regime.
PAYE for employees
Withholding taxes on payments to contractors, suppliers, and nonresidents
Dividend withholding tax is levied when profits are delivered to shareholders.
Overall government take
The government’s entire share of mining projects comes from numerous sources rather than a single tax, including:
Royalties
Corporate Income Tax
Growth and Sustainability Levy (For Gold)
The government’s 10 percent carried interest
License fees and rents.
Employee and withholding taxes.
As a result, effective government action is determined by elements such as commodity prices, mining profitability, capital expenditure, financing structure, and project-specific fiscal terms.
If you’re interested, I can also offer:
A comparison of mining tax regimes in Ghana, Mali, Tanzania, and Côte d’Ivoire, with a focus on small-scale gold mining in Ghana.
