Ghana’s Chamber of Petroleum Consumers threaten to picket if the government does not reverse energy levy increases

The Executive Secretary of COPEC Duncan Amoah stated that they will be forced to picket at the Finance Ministry if all attempts aimed at getting the government to reverse the decision fails.

On Monday (July 29, 2019), the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced some increases in the Road Levy, the Energy Debt Recovery levy as well as the Price Stabilization levy.

This is aimed at helping the government clear the legacy debt in the energy sector to prevent intermittent power outages popularly referred to as ‘dumsor’

However, in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, Mr Amoah said “If the government and the Finance Minister couldn’t do anything the least we expected was for him to go an increase fuel prices by increases taxes. We will go and sleep there at the Finance Ministry. We will not go on a match and go home.”

According to Mr Amoah, the timing is bad for the government to increase fuel prices since Ghanaians are already going through hardship.

“This is a lazy approach of getting money. They know about 10.5 million litres of fuel is consumed everyday so they just come and say let's charge 5 pesewas for example and multiply it by 10.5 million litres to see how much they will get.”