2024 budget: Bring back road tolls — Concerned Drivers Association to gov't

The association also wants the government to prioritise the allocation of funds for the repair of dilapidated roads.

The public relations officer for the association, David Agboado, said there’s a need for the government to address road infrastructure challenges.

He stated that the reintroduction of road tolls would help the workers, most of whom had disabilities.

He proposed a thorough reconsideration of the reintroduction of road tolls, suggesting that the generated revenue could be earmarked for much-needed road repairs.

"Our roads are very deplorable, and the government should fix them and bring back the toll service so that our physically challenged brothers and sisters will also get work to do and get proceeds to fix the roads," he said in an interview with Citi News.

Early in the year, the government claims it is taking steps to reintroduce road and bridge tolls to shore up domestic revenue.

The reintroduction will also come with an upward adjustment in the tolls by an average of 88.5 percent, including outliers of 400 percent, the highest percentage increase, and 33.33 percent, the lowest increment.

Already, the Ministry of Finance has made a proposal on the new rates to include in a new Legislative Instrument (LI) to amend the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2022 (Act 1080).

The memorandum from the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, dated March 10, is seeking the input of the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, on the proposed new rates—that cars paying 50 Gp must pay GH¢1 under the amended LI, while pick-ups, light duty trucks, and mammy waggons must now pay GH¢1.50, up from the previous GH¢1.

Heavy buses and light goods trucks will now move away from paying GH¢1.50 to paying GH¢2, while medium goods trucks (three axles) and heavy duty goods trucks (four axles) will now pay GH¢3, from the GH¢2 they were paying before the collection of tolls on major highways and bridges was abolished.