Member of the National Communications Team of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Samuel Amoah, has stated that, members of the transport sector were not satisfied with the budget reading. He said that they were expecting fuel prices to be reduced, and they think that government did not touch the areas that will ensure that fuel prices will be reduced.
Mr. Amoah explained that, discovering measures to reduce fuel prices will help the transport sector to know how to manage their fares, in terms of controlling the prices of their transport fares. He added that, transport fares have skyrocketed over the past few months, and this was as a result of the increase in fuel prices.
“If government is coming out with the budget reading, then we are expecting something from the government. At least, we were thinking that something different can be done so that the fuel price will come down but I don’t think what we’ve heard now, we are satisfied with it.”
Samuel Amoah
With regards to government’s decision in the budget reading to exchange gold for fuel, Mr. Amoah stated that they do not have any problem with government’s decision as long as the fuel prices come down. However, he stated that how the government was going to go along with this decision is its business.
“We have heard so many promises and budget readings, but anytime we meet them we send our petitions to them. So, all those promises have come to past and wed didn’t see anything. So if they think that is the way they can go about for the prices of fuel to come down, at least I think we’ll embrace it, we’ll welcome it. But all that we are expecting is for it to come down.”
Samuel Amoah
Mr. Amoah said that the union has been paying price stabilization levies for some years now and the purpose of these taxes was to cushion the petroleum products, but they did not see any of that happen since the fuel prices escalated. He iterated that they were expecting the government to address this in the 2023 budget reading.
Mild Expectations From COPEC In 2023 Budget Reading
Meanwhile, Duncan Amoah, Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), stated that they were not expecting the government to dedicate part of the budget reading to addressing the rising speed of fuel prices in the country. Thus, their expectations were low on the budget reading addressing the pressing issues that are affecting their sector.
Mr. Duncan Amoah said that, he was expecting the government to address certain policies with regards to the petroleum and energy sector, however they did not get that during the budget reading. He said that he was expecting the government to talk about the issue of taxes and the re-structuring of energy structures such as the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
“Again, the President during the recent speech, on stabilizing the economy and the country, one of the things he did mention was that ‘we’re going to explore options of getting cheaper fuel’, but he didn’t go deeper.”
Duncan Amoah
Mr. Duncan Amoah explained that much was not obtained from their meeting with the President on finding measures to make petrol cheaper for them and he was expecting more to be disclosed and discussed in the budget reading, but that did not also happen as well.
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