Henry Nana Boakye, also referred to as Nana B, is the National Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and is pressuring the government to remove the emissions levy right away.
According to Nana B, wealthy countries that have adopted electric vehicles as a means of combating climate change are usually subject to levies on emissions.
According to him, Ghana has not yet reached a point where the popularity of electric cars makes a tax like this on gasoline and diesel vehicles appropriate.
In an interview with Peace FM, a radio station based in Accra, on Friday, February 2, Nana B. urged President Akufo-Addo to give the Finance Minister the order to remove the tax.
It needs to be taken back. It isn’t required. It must be retracted by the Finance Minister. He needs to take it back right away.”
A possible fare increase has already been proposed by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) in reaction to the Emissions Levy Act, 2023 (Act 1112).
The government has imposed the emissions levy tax despite first postponing a planned 20% fare increase in January in response to the Transport Ministry’s intervention. The purpose of this tax is to reduce vehicle carbon emissions.
The GPRTU has indicated that it intends to pass on the cost of the emissions levy tax to passengers, expressing dissatisfaction with the tax’s implementation.
GPRTU spokesperson Abass Imoro told JoyNews that although the unions met with the Finance Minister and the Transport Ministry to discuss the matter, the tax was still put into effect.
He emphasized that their current problems have been made worse by the government’s decision to impose the emissions levy tax.
Thankfully, the government showed seriousness about that meeting. We also had meetings with the ministers of transportation and finance. The Finance Minister was consulted on this specific issue and committed to taking action.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has declared that the Emissions Levy Act, 2023 (Act 1112) will go into effect on Thursday, February 1, 2024.
They claim that the Act will tax internal combustion engine vehicles’ carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. The GRA stressed that the move is consistent with the government’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
