Explain why there are levies on fuel prices despite Ghana drilling oil – Nana Akomea to govt

• Critics say the government is being insensitive to the plight of Ghanaians

• Nana Akomea believes it will be in the interest of government to explain to Ghanaians why it cannot remove the taxes

Leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party Nana Akomea has advised the government to explain to Ghanaians why it is important to maintain the levies on the fuel price build-up despite the country’s status as a net exporter of oil.

Nana Akomea reckons the government owes the citizenry an explanation as to why certain components of the price build-up are still in place.

Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show on Friday, November 5, 2021, Nana Akomea said that it will be in the interest of the government to engage the citizenry on the importance of those tax components.

“Maybe the government is having difficulties. They have to explain to Ghanaians why despite the fact that we are drilling oil, we are still putting levies on the prices of petrol. From what we are drilling, we are also supposed to be gaining when there is a price increment. Maybe when they net it, it does not favor them. We started oil drilling in 2010 but it’s the same period that you see the levies rise from 28 pesewas to 146 and it is still rising.”

Nana Akomea also reacted to an old video of then-candidate Akufo-Addo promising Ghanaians that his administration will reduce fuel prices when elected into the office.

He however added that politicians should show honesty by apologizing to the citizenry when they are unable to fulfill a promise they made.

He singled out former President John Agyekum Kufuor as a leader who conceded to not being able to fulfill a promise he made during his campaign.

“Every political leader on campaign makes the same comment… all of them. When leaders are campaigning they make these promises but when they come into office, there is a reality check.

“When you are a political leader and you make certain statements as part of your messaging to the Ghanaian people and you come into office and see that the reality is different, you need to go back to tell them why you made this promise but why it is difficult for you to fulfill that promise. You need to do that.

“President Kufuor is very famous for that when he talks about some issue that he campaigned against the Rawlings government. When he came into government and realized that the reality of the situation is that he couldn’t do much about it, he actually acknowledged and accepted it. He came out and said it is different and acknowledged it. I think leadership should acknowledge it”, he said.

Some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) recently increased the prices of fuel at their respective pump stations.

Viral photos indicate that Total has increased their prices of petrol and diesel to GH¢6.90.

Chief Policy Analyst at Ghana Institute of Public Policy Options, Charles Wereko Brobbey has meanwhile advised the government to use the windfall from the oil revenue to cushion the price.

“We’ve been told by the President that we’re a net exporter of oil now. That means that each time oil prices go above the baseline figure of $54 per barrel [that is used for our budgeting for revenue projections], the Government of Ghana is making a windfall from the price increase and as this goes on, we the consumers are suffering from the price increase because of the application of price formula.

“So I think if the Government of Ghana wants to be a caring government, it should ensure that all the extra windfall profits which have come from $54 to $85 are applied to moderate the price increase,” he said.