In the letter dated Friday, March 10, Mr. Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, gave his Ministry’s inputs regarding proposals on the fees and charges tabled for approval by the Roads Ministry.
Per what has been sighted, there is a composite average increase rate of 88.05 percent across board.
According to Nasir Yartey, who is Public Relations Officer for the Roads Ministry, the said letter is not authorized and the roads Ministry has no knowledge of it.
“The said letter is a leaked document, we can’t speak to it, and we the roads ministry don’t know anything about it. When Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. John Kumah was contacted on the said letter, he indicated that it’s a leaked document.”
Nasir Yartey
The road tolls were cancelled in 2022, after Mr. Ofori-Atta read that year’s budget in Parliament, introducing the Electronic Transaction Levy to rake in more revenue from a larger section of the public. However, after revenue shortfalls from the e-Levy, the Minister announced reintroduction of tolls in the 2023 budget read on Thursday, November 24, 2022.
“The fiscal policy measures to underpin the 2023 Budget for consideration and approval by Parliament, include the reintroduction of tolls on selected public roads and highways, with a renewed focus on leveraging technology in the collection to address the inefficiencies, characterized by the previous toll collection regime.”
Ken Ofori-Atta
Government To Spend To Rehabilitate Toll Booths
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George, berated the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government, particularly the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, over the move to reintroduce road polls in Ghana.
Speaking in an interview, the MP said that after spending state funds to decommission toll booths just over a year ago, the government is going to spend money to rehabilitate them. He added that the government seems to be planning daily, to come up with measures, that will make life unbearable for Ghanaians.
“Are we moving forward or backwards? What kind of people are leading this country? The finance minister, what is wrong with him? They spent more to decommission some of the toll booths, they deprive us of at least, GH¢72 million every year. Now we are going to spend money to rehabilitate the toll booths. Now, we are going to pay more (tolls) as citizens.
“What crime have we committed? Even when God was angry with the people of Israel, in the Bible, he didn’t give them a king so wicked. What is this? It looks like they sit down and plan on how to punish Ghanaians – what can we do to make life more unbearable for them.”
Sam George
He added that the minority caucus in Parliament, warned the government about the move but they did not listen. The MP made these remarks, while reacting to a press statement by the Minister of Finance, which indicated that the tolls were going to be reintroduced.
Samuel Koku Anyidoho, a former deputy general secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), also criticized the government over the brouhaha, surrounding the reintroduction of road tolls.
According to him, the decision to cancel the road toll in November 2021, was totally needless and ill-thought. In a tweet shared, Anyidoho said that he did not comprehend why the tolls were canceled.
“Honestly, I never understood and still don’t understand why the government scrapped road tolls. Nobody ever complained about road tolls (we are complaining about other issues), because we know that we need to be responsible for maintaining our roads. Hmm!!!”
Koku Anyidoho
Anyidoho made these remarks, while reacting to a press statement by the Minister of Finance, which indicated that the tolls were going to be reintroduced. In the press release sighted, the finance minister wrote to the Ministry of Roads and Highways, to confirm that approved fees on roads and bridges will be reintroduced this year.
According to Ken Ofori-Atta, “It is provided under Section 6 of Act 1080 for the Minister to amend the schedules of the Act to include or exclude MDAs and/or adjust the fees and charges collected by MDCs, for their services through a Legislative Instrument when necessary.”
“Accordingly, this ministry has initiated steps to provide for foundational rates for tolling of roads and highways as part of the amendments of the Act, pending completion of the process to identify the rods and highways to be affected by the reintroduction of the road tolls, as stated in the budget.”
Ken Ofori-Atta
The approved fees and charges for motorbike users will be 50 pesewas, instead of 20 pesewas. Saloon car users will pay a fee of GH¢1, rather than the previous 50 pesewas fee. Pick-ups/4×4 vehicles and light bus users will be charged GH¢1.50 pesewas, when the toll booth reopens. Drivers of heavy buses will also pay GH¢ 2, instead of the GH¢1.50 pesewas they used to pay. For drivers of medium and heavy goods trucks up to 4 axles, the fee to be paid will be GH¢3, instead of GH¢2.
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